THE  LIBRARY 

OF 
THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 
LOS  ANGELES 

Gift  of 
Mrs.   Lawrence   C.    Lockley 


MUSH 
LIBRARY 


VIOLIIST 


TONE-PECULIARITIES 


—BY- 


FREDERICK  CASTLE,  M.  D. 


FIRST  EDITION. 


LOWELL,   INDIANA. 
Alfred  H,  Miller 


Copyrighted  1906, 
By  Frederick  Castle,  M.  D. 


H.  H.  RAGON&SON,  Printers, 

Lowell,  Indiana. 

1906. 


IV 


DR.  FREDERICK  CASTLE. 


Music 

Librurj 


It  is  gratifying  to  acknowledge  Major  Gilbert 
Thompson,  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  Mr.  Frank 
Spalding,  Township  Principal,  Griffith,  Indiana,  as 
persons  giving  valuable  aid  in  making  this  book 
presentable.  FREDERICK  CASTLE. 


EXPLANATION  OF  CHART: 
Because  different  samples  of  sounding-board 
wood  must  receive  different  treatment  concerning 
graduation,  therefore  values  for  thicknesses  are 
not  given;  but  in  lieu  of  figures,  shading  is  employ- 
ed as  the  means  of  indicating  relative  quantitive  val- 
ues. The  single  experiment  noted  in  the  text, 
and,  having  maximum  evenness  of  tone-power  in 
view,  operated  to  augment  altissimo  tones  in  a  more 
marked  degree  than  tones  of  lower  pitch.  Because 
power  in  altissimo  tones  is  desirable  and  difficult  to 
secure,  therefore,  this  method  for  graduation  is 
given  record,  and,  with  the  hope  that  future  stu- 
dents of  the  violin  may  continue  the  experiment  of 
shortening  the  length  of  sounding-board  activity 
to  augment  tones  of  higher  pitch.  Trial  will  un- 
doubtedly determine  a  better  ratio  than  2-3  for 
shortening  fiber-activity  beneath  the  lighter  strings. 


VI 


CHART,  indicating  by  shading,  the  relative  quantitive  values 

of  violin  sounding-board  graduation  for  maximum 

evenness  of  tone-power. 


CONTENTS. 

CHART 6 

INDEX 8 

INTRODUCTION  12 

LECTURE  I -Violin  Tone-Character 17 

LECTURE  II- Accident  No.  1 26 

LECTURE  III-The  Fraudulent  Violin  Builder  42 
LECTURE  IV- Violin  Sounding-Board  Wood  •  •  57 
LECTURE  V-Disintegration  of  Violin  Interior 

Surfaces 78 

LECTURE  VI -My  Wornout  Violin,  or  Varnish 

Phenomenon  No.  1 92 

LECTURE  VII- Varnish  Phenomenon  No.  2- .  113 
LECTURE  VHI-Uniformity  of  Violin  Tone- 
Values  130 

LECTURE  IX- Violin  Tone-Modifiers 150' 

LECTURE  X-Violin     Tone-Modifiers,     con- 
tinued   160 

LECTURE  XI -Violin     Tone-Modifiers,    con- 
tinued      171 

LECTURE  XII -Violin   Tone-Modifiers,    con- 
tinued    180 

LECTURE  XIII -Violin  Tone-Modifiers,   con- 
cluded   190 

LECTURE  XIV- Maximum  Evenness  of  Violin 

Tone-Power 205 

LECTURE  XV -Maximum  Evenness  of  Violin 

Tone-Power,  concluded 222 

LECTURE  XVI-Maximum  Violin  Tone-Power  235 
LECTURE  XVII-Philosophy  Involved  in  Vio- 
lin Interior-Surface  Conditions 256 

LECTURE \VlII-Our  Pass-Over 274 

APPENDIX 289 


vn 


INI3KX. 


ACCIDENT  NO.  I,  26. 

AUDIBLE  SOUND, 
limited  to  twelve  inches 
of  the  violin  sounding- 
board,  53. 

ANGLES, 

incidence  and  reflection, 
304. 

BOOKS, 

unreliable  evidence  in, 
35. 

BEST  SOLO  VIOLIN, 
not  best  orchestra  vio- 
lin, 37. 

BACK  PLATE, 

functions   of,  47;  as  a 

tone-producing    agent, 

107. 
CARE  OF  VARNISH, 

example,  93. 
CREMONA     VARNISH, 

125. 

COMBINED  TONAL  EF- 
FECT, 

half   dozen    violins    of 

uniform  tone-pitch,  136. 

conditions  of  test,  136. 
COLD  TONE,  296. 

DISSONANTOVER- 
TONES, 

cause  of,  30;  295. 
FRAUD,  43. 

GENERAL  PURPOSE 

Violin,  38. 
GUMS, 

hard,    inelastic,    eifect 


of,  93. 

GUSHER, 
the,  285. 

HARMONICS, 
value  of,  96. 

HARMONICOVER- 

TONES,  294. 

INTRODUCTION  XII, 
method  of  arriving  at 
conclusions,  xiv,   eight 
propositions,  xv. 

INANITY, 

continuing  the  demand 
that  soloists  only  appear 
with  a  Stradivarius,  or 
Guarnerius,  39. 

INVITATION, 
to  my  sheep-herder  vio- 
lin, 101. 

LONGEVITY 
of  the  violin,  98;  exam- 
ple, 98. 

LOSS  OF  TONE-POWER, 
causes  of,  299. 

METEORICCONDI- 

TIONS,  23. 

Musical  sound,  explicit 
law,  30;  affecting  dis- 
tance traveled  by  violin 
tone,  280. 

MAXIMUM  EVENNESS 
of  violin  tone-power, 
205;  fundamental  tones, 
208;  reasons  leading  to 
a  new  method  for  sound- 
ing-board graduation, 


vin 


INDEX. 


214;  demonstration  of 
sounding-board  areas 
augmenting  tone  of  each 
string,  216;  ratio  for 
lengths  of  fiber-activi- 
ty beneath  each  string, 
218;  concert  pitch  200 
years  ago,  223;  demon- 
stration that  errors  in 
sounding-board  gradua- 
tion cause  uneven  tone- 
power,  225. 

MAXIMUM  TONE-POW- 
ER, 235; 

"big"  tone,  236;  violin 
tone  separated  by  two 
irreconcilable  factors, 
237;  violin  aestheticism 
run  mad,  238;  list  of 
factors  producing  max- 
imum violin  tone-power; 
physical  appearances  of 
sounding-board  wood 
producing  maximum 
tone-power  combined 
with  "rich"  tone,  246; 
normal  and  transverse 
vibration  in  the  sound- 
ing-board, 249;  woody 
tone,  255;  dispersion  of 
force,  the  rebounding 
ball,  271. 
NOISE, 

definition  of,  25. 
NODES,  294. 
0,  THOU  POST,  276. 
PITCH, 
Musical  sound,  30. 


PLAYERS, 
Varying  opinions  of,  36. 

PHILOSOPHY 
Involved  in  violin  in- 
terior-surface condit- 
ions, 256;  list  of  princi- 
pals modifying  violin 
tone,  259;  number  of 
tone-qualities  absolute- 
ly at  command  of  the 
violin  builder,  261;  in- 
tensity of  violin-tone 
the  product  of  four  fac- 
tors, 262;  properties  of 
air  affecting  intensity 
of  violin  tone,  264. 

PENETRATION 
of  oil,  274. 

PASS-OVER,  276. 

POST, 
problem  of,  301. 

POST-SETTING,  303. 

RICH  TONE, 
causes  of,   96;  descrip- 
tion of  wood  yielding 
rich  tone,   97;  illustra- 
tion, 296. 

SCIENCE, 
never  made  a  violin,  32. 

SCIENTIFIC  STATE- 

MENTS, 
received  with  caution  32 

SOUNDING-BOARD 

WOOD,  57; 

mite  contributed  by  sci- 
ence, 58;  value  in  scru- 
tinizing wood  of  used 


IX 


INDEX. 


violins,  61;  unequal 
skrinkage,  example,  62; 
example,  63;  faults  of 
pine,  66;  Michigan  pine, 
67;  white  cedar,  69;  col- 
or changes  in  pine,  70, 
independent  action  of 
contiguous  fibers,  71; 
pathetic,  78;  preserving 
interior  surfaces,  79; 
example  of  interior-sur- 
face disintegration,  83. 

SYMPATHETIC        A  C- 

TION,  108; 
law  of,  109. 

SWEET  OLD  VIOLIN,  91 

THE  KING,  20. 

TWO  MISTAKES,  22. 

TONE-DISTANCE  TEST 
out  of  doors,  23;  the 
listening  ear  in  the  bet- 
ter position,  24. 

TRADE  PROMOTERS 
industry  of,  39. 

TWO-DOLLAR  MAN,  41. 

THOU,  0  VIOLIN,  45. 

TONE-PITCH,  45; 

-"'.  eight  principals'  gov- 
erning, 46;  application 
rulel,  48;  rule  2,  48; 
rule  3,  49;  rule  4,  49; 
ruleS,  50;  rule  6,  50; 
rule  7,  51;  rule  8,  51. 

TONE-MODIFIERS, 
list,  141;  varnish,    142; 
bending  the  sounding- 
board,  143;  bending  the 


back,  144;  thickness  of 
sounding-board,  144; 
arching,  147;  high  a"rch, 
example,  148;  laws  gov- 
erning lines,  of  sound- 
wave travel,  151;  un- 
solved problem  in  arch- 
ing, 152,  the  bar,  152; 
wolf  caused  by  mal-po- 
I  sition  of  bar,  153;  wolf 
caused  by  graduation, 
154;  position  of  bar  di- 
minishing power  of  the 
D,  158;  the  post,  1QO;  the 
bridge,  164;  the  finger- 
-board,  165;  the  strings, 
181;  re- enforce  block, 
175;  the  trembling  vio- 
lin, 181;  interior  sur- 
faces, 185;  the  exits, 
187;  depth  of  ribs,  199; 
the  mute,  302;bowhair, 
202. 

UNIFORMITY 
of   violin    tone- values, 
131. 

VERDICT, 

Label,  Varnish  and 
Price  vs  Sweet  Tone, 
305. 

VIOLIN     TONE-CHAR- 
ACTERS, 
place  of  usefulness,  19. 

VENEERING     WORKS, 
53. 

VARNISH     PHENOME- 
NON NO.  I,  104. 


INDEX. 


VARNISH     PHENOME- 
NON NO.  II,  113. 

VIBRATION, 
normal  and  transverse, 
291;  velocity  compared, 
299. 


VENTRAL  SEGMENTS, 
295. 

WOLF, 

caused  by  the  bar,  ex- 
ample, 153;  caused  by 
sounding-board  gradua- 
tion, example,  154. 


ERRATA. 

Page  19,  line  8,  for  "tenora,"  read  tenoro. 
Page  44,  line  2  verse,  for  "Music,"  read  Music's. 
Page  48,  line  12,  for  "give,"  read  gives. 
Page  57,  line  24,  for  "govern's,"  read  governs. 
Page  96,  line  14,  for  "a  basso,''  read  a  bassa. 
Page  173,  line  1,  for  "diminish,"  read  increase. 
Page  216,  line  20,  for  "purfing,"  read  purfling. 
Page  217,  lines  1,  13,  for  "purfing,"  read  purfling. 
Page   297,    line   3,    for     "MOVEMENT,"    read 
MOVEMENTS. 


XI 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

INTRODUCTION. 

These  lectures,  addressed  to  an  imaginary  audi- 
ence of  violin  students,  were  originally  written 
for  and  partly  published  in  the  Western  Musician, 
Dixon,  Illinois,  and,  for  entertainment  of  the  many 
readers  of  this  musical  journal.  Two  of  the  lect- 
ures now  appear  in  print  for  the  first  time.  As  a 
familiar  style  was  employed,  therefore  abstruse 
technical  terms  were  avoided  as  far  as  possible 
without  interfering  with  clearness  and  precision. 

The  experiments,  results,  and  conclusions,  as 
thus  recorded  are  not  romances  of  the  imagination, 
as  might  be  inferred  at  first,  but,  are  conclusions 
gained  by  practical  experiments,  and  also  by  acci- 
dents occurring  in  my  experience. 

Thus,  when  violin  patients  came  to  my  hospital, 
I  was  happy,  and,  because  of  my  enthusiatic  devo- 
tion to  problems  in  tone-diagnosis,  I  worked  upon 
them,  and  over  them,  until  pronouncing  them  cured, 
or  incurable.  Some  of  those  violin-patients  were 
as  some  human  patients,  blest  with  inherently  good 
constitutions  to  begin  with,  and,  were  capable  of 
receiving  enhanced  tone  values  from  careful  adjust- 
ment of  tone-modifying  factors,  while  some  of  them 
were  so  inherently  bad  from  the  day  they  were 
named  "violin,"  (misnamed,)  that  only  noisy  tone 
was  their  inheritance;  yet,  noisy  tone  made  "inter- 
esting cases"  of  the  latter  class  because  of  offering 
incontestable  reasons  for  inferior  tone— reasons 
conclusively  demonstrating  truth  in  the  statement, 
"without  superior  material,  without  superior  vio- 
lin." 


xn 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

Throughout  my  period  for  active  work,   the  fol- 
lowing questions  were  always  in  view: 

"How  does  the  violin  operate  to  produce  musical 
sound?" 

'  'What  agents,  connected  with  the  violin,   oper- 
ate to  modify  tone?" 

"What  are  the  causes  for  inferior  violin  tone?" 
"What  are  the  causes  for  superior  violin  tone?" 
Some  of  these  questions  I  have  solved  to  my  own 
satisfaction,  but,  no  claim  is  advanced  that  such 
solutions  will  be  acceptable  to  other  students  of 
violin  tone-phenomena;  nor  is  the  claim  advanced 
that  all  such  tone-problems  have  received  solution. 
Some  of  my  conclusions  are  at  variance  with  con- 
clusions of  noted  scientific  investigators,  but,  for 
my  own  conclusions,  infallibility  is  not  claimed.  To 
err  is  human.  To  follow  error  is  also  human.  Thus, 
I  followed  a  scientific  conclusion  concerning  pro- 
duction and  modification  of  violin  tone  requiring 
experiences  of  twenty-five  years  to  dispel  the  delu- 
sion. Upon  this  ground,  the  violin  student  is 
warned  of  danger  in  following  abstract  theory 
under  the  guise  of  science.  It  is  my  belief  that 
theories,  even  when  based  upon  oft-repeated  prac- 
tical demonstrations  upon  various  violins,  should 
be  presented  only  as  conclusions  of  an  individual 
attempting  solution  of  a  problem  wherein  capric- 
ious action  of  wood  has  ever  been,  is  now,  and  for- 
ever may  remain  an  unknown  quantity;  and,  I  pre- 
sent the  thought  that  such  unknown  quantity  is 
the  reason  why  science  meets  defeat  in  attempting 
to  build  a  violin  to  order. 


xm 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

The  following  problems  remain  for  elucidation: 

'  'Inherent,  capricious  spring-action  of  wood. ' ' 

'  'Varying  degrees  of  sound-wave  concentration 
at  the  exits  as  governed  by  varying  degrees  of 
plate-arching." 

'  'The  phenomenon  of  raising  tone-pitch  by  en- 
larging area  of  exits." 

The  opinion  is  presented  that  solutions  for  the 
first  two  of  these  problems  will  place  violin  tone- 
quality  at  command  of  the  will.  Notwithstanding 
doubts  of  solving  problems  involved  in  capricious 
action  of  wood,  yet,  the  value  in  such  solution  re- 
mains a  powerful  incentive  to  continued  effort. 
The  desire  for  violins  possessing  "rich"  tone  com- 
bined with  marked  intensity  of  tone  is  a  stimulus 
surpassing  the  stimulus  of  fine  gold;  and,  whoever 
discovers  a  method  producing  such  violins  at  com- 
mand of  desire  will  become  a  king  in  his  own  right. 

My  method  for  arriving  at  conclusions  concern- 
ing the  potency  in  each  modifier  of  violin  tone  is  to 
run  down  the  causes  for  noisy  tone,  sweet  tone, 
powerful  tone,  hollow  tone,  thin  tone,  tone  "all 
inside,"  tone  "all  outside,"  volume  of  tone,  intens- 
ity of  tone,  tone  pitch,  unmusical  double-stop  tones, 
powerful  open  tones  with  feeble  altissimo  tones, 
resultant  tones,  or  harmonics  a  bassa,  consonant 
overtones,  dissonant  overtones,  the  "rich"  tone, 
the  "cold"  tone,  sympathetic .  tone,  evenness  of 
tone-power,  and  tone  character  based  upon  tone 
character  of  the  human  voice. 

In  this  work,  the  conclusions  herein  presented 
follow  experiments  directed  upon  both  old  and  new 


xiv 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

violins,  and  the  number  of  such  violins  runs  into 
hundreds.  From  deductions  thus  obtained,  it  is 
my  desire  to  give  prominence  to  the  following 
propositions: 

1.  Tone-peculiarities,  existing  in. a  given  violin, 
may  not  exist  in  any  other  violin. 

2.  Writing  up  tone-peculiarities  existing  in  a 
given  violin  as  infallible  necessities  for  all  violins 
is  misleading. 

3.  Finding  two  violins  possessing  precisely  simi- 
lar tone- values  is  equally  difficult  with  finding  two 
voices  possessing  precisely  similar  tone- values. 

4.  No  violin  maker  whatever,  is,   or  has  been 
able  to  give  marked  tone- value  to  each  and  every 
violin. 

5.  That  the  mountain  herder  of  sheep  may  pro- 
duce a  violin  possessing  tone-values  equal  to  the 
best. 

6.  That  th3    skillful     mechanic,     guided    by 
unerring  musical  instinct,  produces  a  vastly  great- 
er number  of  superior  violins  than  the  mechanic 
minus  such  instinct. 

7.  That  all  .violin  makers  may  meet  occasional 
defeat. 

8.  That,  barring  accident,   the  superior  violin 
is  a  product  of  superior  mechanical  skill  combined 
with  superior  musical  sense,  all  being  directed  up- 
on superior  material. 

Than  the  method  herein  presented  for  determin- 
ing the  potency  and  operation  of  each  factor  enter- 
ing into  the  production  and  modification  of  violin 
tone,  there  seems  no  other  method  offering  equal 


xv 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

value  to  conclusions. 

To  the  weighing  of  such  factors,  I  have  given  a 
lifetime;  not  in  abstract  theorizing,  but  in  sitting 
at  the  bench  while  repeating  demonstration  after 
demonstration,  year  after  year,  decade  after  de- 
cade, from  youth  to  old  age,  determined  upon  iso- 
lating, weighing,  and  knowing  the  operation  of 
each  and  all  factors  underlying  violin  tone-phenom- 
ena or  die  in  the  attempt.  At  sixty-three  years  of 
age,  death  came  near,  and  three  years  later  re- 
mained near,  leaving  but  my  right  arm  sufficiently 
useful  to  guide  the  pen.  It  is  now  certain  that  I 
shall  not  reach  the  goal  of  my  ambition. 

Under  such  difficulties,  writing  is  laborious,  be- 
sides, the  matter  herein  is  made  up  wholly  from 
memory,  no  notes  having  been  made  with  the  view 
of  publication.  At  the  present  moment,  necessary 
conservation  of  strength  confines  me  to  a  limited 
daily  period  for  work;  hence  abandonment  of  in- 
tended re-writing  of  preliminary  publication,  of 
which  needed  corrections  are  made,  and  from 
which  some  paragraphs  are  omitted,  and  to  which 
lectures  xvi,  and  xvii,  are  added.  This  publication 
is  presented  as  my  legacy  to  both  the  violin  student 
and  the  American  violin  maker.  That  the  follow- 
ing record  is  reduced  to  writing  and  published  is 
matter  wholly  due  to  encouragement  offered  by  a 
modern  violin  maker;  therefore,  whatever  of  en- 
tertainment, or  whatever  of  other  value  may  be 
found  upon  these  pages  is  something  not  attribut- 
able alone  to  courage  of,  FREDERICK  CASTLE. 

Lowell,  Indiana,  March  20,  1906. 


xvi 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 
LECTURE  I. 

GENTLEMEN  OF  THE  VIOLIN  STUDENT  CLUB:— At 
this,  our  first  session,  I  take  the  opportuity  to  of- 
fer you  congratulations  for  the  following  interest- 
ing facts.  First:— The  causes  for  noisy  violin  tone 
are  discovered.  Second:— A  successful  way  to  pre- 
serve interior  surfaces  of  the  violin  from  disinte- 
gration by  heat  and  moisture  has  been  perfected. 
Third:— Areas  of  the  violin  sounding-board,  re- 
sponsible for  production  and  augmentation  of  tone 
are  now  located  and  defined.  Fourth:— A  method 
for  sounding-board  graduation,  securing  maximum 
evenness  of  tone-power  has  received  demonstration. 
Sixth:— Principles,  governing  violin  tone-intensity, 
are  brought  out  into  the  light.  Seventh:— Princi- 
ples governing  violin  tone-power  are  reduced  to 
words.  Eighth:— Quality  of  sounding-board  wood, 
permitting  '  'rich ' '  violin  tone,  is  described.  Ninth : 
—The  power  of  accident  to  dispel  darkness  and  de- 
lusion is  placed  on  record.  Tenth:— Some  scientific 
conclusions  concerning  '  'how  the  violin  operates  to 
produce  musical  sound"  have  experienced  a  "jar." 
Eleventh:— The  fallacy  in  the  claim  that  "the  best 
of  Cremonas  are  necessary  vehicles  for  inter- 
pretation of  Haydn,  Mozart  and  Beethoven  scores" 
is  made  manifest.  Twelfth : — An  attempt  has  been 
made  to  right  the  wrongs  heaped  upon  the  modern 
violin  maker  by  the  "old- violin-trade-promoter. " 

During  our  course  of  study,  you  may  be  present- 
ed with  some  ideas  pertaining  to  violin  tone  hereto- 
f ore"  not  given  expression.  Indeed,  I  promise  you 
but  little  stale  hash  in  our  menu.  As  it  is  not 

17 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

my  intention  to  rob  you  of  the  pleasure  afforded  by 
anticipation,  therefore  you  will  be  given  but  small 
doses  at  one  time.  This  plan  is  adopted  to  avoid 
injuring  your  digestive  power,  and,  to  secure  your 
regular  attendance. 

Tone  taste  varies— varies  up  through  every  de- 
gree of  musical  culture.  A  tone  suiting  one  may  in 
no  wise  suit  another.  No  player  can  play  his,  or 
her,  best  upon  an  instrument  whose  tone  to  him,  or 
her,  is  disagreeable.  Fortunately,  the  violin  affords 
a  variety  in  tone-quality  so  infinitely  great  that 
every  violin  player  on  earth  may  own  one  having 
tone-quality  to  his  taste. 

One  might  think  it  possible  to  make  violins  hav- 
ing a  single  standard  of  tone-quality,  but  the  fact 
is,  inherent  peculiarity  of  action  in  wood  stands 
in  the  way. 

There  is  something  approaching  an  unvarying 
tone-standard  for  the  whole  range  of  wind  instru- 
ments and  instruments  of  percussion. 

But  unvarying  tone-quality  suddenly  halts  in  the 
presence  of  the  violin  family.  We  can  imagine  the 
unbounded  surprise  of  one  who  never  heard  other 
than  wind  musical  instruments  upon  introduction 
to  this  violin  family.  As  he  picks  up  violin  after 
violin,  viola  after  viola,  cello  after  cello,  he  finds 
no  two  possessing  an  identical  tone-character. 
Each  violin,  each  viola,  each  cello,  has  a  tone-qual- 
ity peculiar  to  itself.  These  peculiarities  are  so 
marked  that  he  soon  becomes  able  to  name  each 
violin  with  whose  tones  he  is  familiar,  although 
blindfolded,  or  in  a  distant  apartment,  naming 

18 


.VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

them  as  unerringly  as  he  can  name  different  sing- 
ers with  whose  tones  he  is  acquainted. 

He  becomes  curious  to  know  the  reason,  or  rea- 
sons, for  the  infinite  tone-peculiarity  of  that  wond- 
erful musical  instrument  called  'Violin." 

By  observation,  he  finds  its  G  and  D  strings 
sometimes  possess  the  bass  tone-character;  at  an- 
other time  these  strings  possess  a  baritone-tenor* 
character;  in  some  instances  A  and  E  strings  pos- 
sess mezzo-soprano  character;  in  other  instances  A 
and.E  strings  possess  soprano  tone-character  alone. 
Because  of  these  •  tone  peculiarities  he  divides 
violins  into  four  classes,  thus: 

1.  Basso-mezzo-soprano. 

2.  Basso-soprano. 

•  3.    Baritone-mezzo-soprano. 
.   4.    Baritone-soprano. 

•  By  experiment,  he  finds  that  these  four  classes 
of  tone-character  can  be  given  to  violins  at  will;  and 
that  they  are  dependent  upon  various  degrees  of 
.soundingrboard    thicknesses,   together  with  such 
tone-modifiers  as  size  and  position  of  exits,   air 
capacity  of  the  violin,  etc. 

From  observation  he  finds  a  field  of  usefulness 
peculiar  to  two  of  these  classes.  Thus:  The  vio- 
lin of  basso-mezzo-soprano  tone-character  is  the 
more  agreeable  solo  instrument,  while  the  baritone 
soprano  tone-character  is  decidedly  the  more  effec- 
tive for  orchestra  uses;  that  the  latter  fact  is  due 
to  high  tone-pitch,  therefore  its  tone- waves  ride  on 
the  topmost  wave  of  harmony  parts. 

Surprising  as  are  these  peculiarities,  he  yet  finds 

19 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

another  fact  in  violin  tone  still  more  surprising; 
that  is,  some  violins  possess  human  tone-quality  in 
a  degree  far  outranking  all  other  musical  applian- 
ces. Thus  a  new  world  of  expression  is  opened  to 
him. 

Here  is  a  musical  device  capable  of  talking;  tak- 
ing part  in  dialogue  a  la  "Arkansas  Traveler"  an 
instrument  capable  of  arresting  the  song  of  wild 
birds,  causing  them,  with  outstretched  necks  and 
wonder-lighted  eyes,  to  look  about  for  that  other 
strange  singer  pouring  forth  those  enchanting 
trills;  an  instrument  capable  of  breaking  out  into 
joyous  laughter  a  la  the  laughter  score  in  Pagan- 
ini's  "Carnival;"  an  instrument  capable  of  uttering 
prayer  devout  in  Mozart's  "Song  Without  Words;" 
an  instrument  thrilling  the  air  with  those  trouble- 
forgetting  tones  in  Schuman's  "Traumerei;"anon, 
awaking  human  tenderness  with  sympathetic 
tones  of  "Sweet  Home;"  anon,  making  human  eyes 
weep  with  those  matchless,  touching,  despairing, 
farewell  tones,  as  brave,  loving,  unfaltering  Norma, 
by  a  stern  Druid  father  condemned  to  death  by  fire, 
singing  in  "duetto  e  scena  ultima"  as  she  ascends 

that  blazing  funeral  pyre God! 

the  agony  of  it! and  the  blinding  tears.! 

In  all  the  wide  world  there's  no  musical  instru- 
ment approaching  the  violin.  Our  violin  investi- 
gator is  now  become  a  violin  devotee.  The  en- 
trancing tones  of  this  human-attuned  wonder  com- 
pel him  to  bow  down  and  worship  it  as  '  'The  King. " 

Thou,  0  Violin! 

Thou  that  smil'st  on  beggar  and  king! 

20 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

Thou  thing  that  laughs— weeps— prays— sings! 

Thou  thing  of  beauty! 

Thou  joy  forever! 

Nor  kings,  nor  queens,  nor  potentates  whatever 

Reign  with  thy  absolutism. 

Thou,  0  Violin! 

Do  you  condemn  this  man  for  such  idolatrous 
worship? 

I  have  given  more  than  fifty  years  to  the  search 
for  causes  of  violin  tone-peculiarities;  finding  some 
of  them,  so  I  think.  I  claim  no  superior  knowledge 
of  physics,  nor  superior  penetration. 

I  only  claim  merit  for  tenacity. 

The  physiognomist  might  say  of  me,  '  'you  have 
a  square  jaw."  The  phrenologist  might  say,  "you 
have  a  remarkable  developement  in  the  region  of 
never-let-go".  Both  might  conclude  by  saying, 
,  "you  have  nothing  else  worthy  of  remark."  Only 
tenacity  can  hold  any  man  to  fifty  years  work 
upon  any  single  problem.  I  worked  forty  years 
in  trying  to  make  all  violins  sweet  in  tone;  trying, 
in  other  words,  to  find  the  cause  for  "noise"  in 
violin  tone.  I  had  concluded  that  sweet  violin 
tone  is  an  accident,  when  a  real  accident  occurred 
revealing  the  cause  of  noise  in  less  than  ten  min- 
utes. 

Irony? 

Much. 

I 'confess  that  a  solution  by  accident  is  better 
than  no'solution  at  all.  When  a  man,  even  by  help 
of  accident,  lives  to  demonstrate  a  principle  of 
benefit  to  humanity,  he  may  then  depart,  knowing 

21 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

the  world  is  better  for  his  having  lived  therein.  Is 
it  not  a  fact  that  when  a  man  can  lift  humanity  above 
ear-rending,  soul-harrowing,  suicide-impelling  vio- 
lin noise,  he  has  sufficient  basis  for  any  reasonable 
claim  on  earth  or  in  the  heavens?. 

Let  millions  having  "nerves"  attest. 

Enough! 

Some  violins  are  sweet  in  tone;  some  are  not. 

Truthfully,  a  few  violins  are  thus  sweet;  many 
are  not. 

To  the  listening  ear,  sweetness  is  the  chief  ele- 
ment of  value  in  violin  tone. 

Strangely,  there  are  a  few  violin  players  who 
place  no  value  upon  sweetness  of  tone,  saying,  "I'll 
take  care  of  the  sweetness  of  tone  if  I  can  only  get 
tone-power." 

Never  was  mistake  greater. 

The  best  violin  players,  from  Ole  Bull  down  to 
Mr.  "Saw-yer-head-off , "  could  not,  nor  ever  can, 
conceal  "noisy"  violin  tone.  Admitting  a  differ- 
ence in  favor  of  skillful  bowing,  yet,  skillful  as  one 
may  be  with  the  bow,  ninety  per  cent  of  an  audi- 
ence will  say,  "That  fellow  can't  play  the  violin." 

By  sweet  tone  I  mean  tone  unaccompanied  by 
sound-waves  pitched  at  inharmonious  keys. 

Again,  it  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  the  "noisy" 
tone  to  travel  an  equal  distance  with  sweet  tone. 

On  this  point,  the  following  test  for  carrying- 
power  gives  the  loud  tone  devotee  a  good  opportun- 
ity for  disillusion,  and  also  to  part  with  wealth.  It 
is  a  test  that  I  have  repeatedly  made,  and  made 
with  unvarying  results. 

22 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

As  you  know,  a  loud  toned,  noisy  violin,  played 
in  a  small,  bare  room  makes  one  long  for  the  quiet 
of  shady  woods.  From  a  number  of  violins,  tested 
in  such  small  room,  select  the  noisiest  and  the 
sweetest  and  take  them  to  an  open  field,  level,  and 
affording  at  least  1400  lineal  feet  of  unobstructed 
distance.  Select  a  day  when  the  winds  are  at  rest; 
a  cloudless  day  is  best,  because  anything  approach- 
ing the  nimbus  cloud  greatly  assists  the  propaga- 
tion of  sound.  Select  an  hour  from  10  a.  m.  to  4  p. 
m.,  because  in  those  hours  of  any  given  day  sound 
is  propagated  with  greater  difficulty.  To  make  the 
record  of  value,  take  along  a  thermometer,  a  ba- 
rometer, and  a  hygrometer,  and  record  the  read- 
ings of  these  instruments  at  hour  of  test.  Thus  the 
carrying  power,  of  a  violin  so  tested,  can  be  guar- 
anteed to  repeat  its  performance  at  any  time  hav- 
ing similar  meteoric  conditions.  Meteoric  condi- 
tions, as  you  know,  greatly  modify  distances  at 
which  sounds  travels.  In  our  summer  months, 
these  conditions  often  cause  violin  tone  to  be  dis- 
appointing. Thus,  any  violin  may  be  the  object  of 
unwarranted  tone-criticism. 

In  making  this  tone  distance-test,  two  persons,  at 
least,  must  assist. 

One  will  play  a  melody  upon  the  G  string;  the 
other  retires  across  the  field  to  a  distance  at  which 
the  melody  is  faintly  distinguished.  This  distance, 
being  measured,  is  placed  to  the  credit  of  that 
string.  Thus  a  record  is  made  for  each  string  of 
each  violin. 

This  test  establishes: 


23 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

(1)  Evenness  of  tone  power. 

(2)  Intensity  of  tone.     (Carrying  power.) 

(3)  Purity  of  tone.     (Sweetness  of  tone.) 

In  my  experience,  the  sweeter  tone  invariably 
travels  the  greater  distance.  I  have  known  the 
sweeter  toned  violin  to  win  by  250  feet.  In  even- 
ness of  tone,  I  tested  one  reputable  old  violin  whose 
distance  record^  varies  from  G  string  1000,  to  E 
string,  1480  feet.  Only  two  violins  have  I  thus  test- 
ed, securing  an  equal  distance-record  for  each 
string. 

I  assure  you  this  tone  distance-test  may  cause 
profound  admonishment  to  the  participants.  My- 
self, after  long  experience,  dare  not  risk  anything 
on  the  result.  This  test  affords  ample  proof  that 
the  listening  ear  is  in  the  better  position  for  judg- 
ing tone. 

At  this  point  I  present  "noise." 

It  is  a  familiar  thing,  truly. 

It  is  a  thing  which  ought  not  be  found  in  the 
violin. 

Not  always  in  text  books  do  we  find  definition  of 
"noise." 

Noise  seems  to  be  a  painful  subject. 

Proximity  accentuates  its  painfullness. 

The  existence  of  "noise"  is  as  the  density  of 
population. 

To  noise  may  be  charged  the  existence  of 
"nerves." 

This  fact  may  be  proven  by  rolling  back  a  few 
centuries  when  there  were  fewer  people  on  earth, 
fewer  things  moving  about,  and  vastly  fewer  fid- 

24 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

dlers,  and  there  we  find  no  record  of  "nerves." 
Science  would  have  us  believe  that  where  there  are 
no  ears,  there  is  no  sound,  no  "noise." 

Do  you  believe  this  story? 

If  you  do  not  care  to  express  disbelief  you  may, 
at  least,  call  it  a  paradox. 

But,  to  think  of  a  place  where  there's  no  noise! 
Blessed  place!  That  must  be  a  place  where  angels 
do  not  fear  to  tread.  Let  it  not  be  invaded  by  the 
"noisy"  violin,  for  the  most  distracting  noise,  noise 
"le  plus  terrible,"  can  come  from  the  violin. 

What  is  noise?  Should  you  not  find  a  definition 
to  suit  you,  read  the  following:  Noise  is  an  aggre- 
gation of  sound-waves  pitched  at  inharmonious 
keys. 

The  definition  itself  makes  one  shiver. 

I'm  proud  of  it;  the  shiver,  I  mean. 

The  shiver  is  proof  that  my  definition  is  correct. 

What  is  the  cause  of  "noise"  in  violin  tone? 
This  question  is  filled  to  the  brim  with  absorbing 
interest  to  the  whole  violin  world. 

The  accident,  affording  a  solution  to  this  mo- 
mentous question,  is  so  provokingly  accidental  as 
to  rob  me  of  all  honor  for  the  solution. 

I  had  worked  a  lifetime  for  this  solution;  I  had 
read  books,  and  books;  had  bought  a  few  books  my- 
self; had  borrowed  more;  I  had  learned  therein 
some  facts  requiring  twenty-five  years  to  unlearn; 
I  had  given  up  the  possibility  of  a  solution,  believ- 
ing sweetness  of  violin  tone  to  be  an  accident,  when 
the  following  accident  occurred,  thus: 


25 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

LECTURE  II. 

GENTLEMEN:— I  was  working  upon  a  used  violin, 
a  violin  of  "noisy"  tone-faults,  a  violin  belonging 
to  a  "business"  player.  Re-graduation  was  com- 
pleted, a  new  bar  ad  justed,  interior  surf  acing- work 
finished  and  all  ready  for  assembling  when  the 
owner  sent  in  a  "hurry  up"  call.  To  hurry  up 
meant  working  at  night,  and  to  please,  my  friend, 
I  resolved  to  do  assembling  work  that  same  night. 
Accordingly  I  returned  to  my  workroom,  lighting  a 
20-candlepower  lamp  placed  before  a  reflector  and 
seated  myself  immediately  in  front  of  the  lamp. 

Reaching  to  my  right,  I  picked  up  the  finished 
sounding-board.  As  it  came  between  my  sight  and 
the  lamp,  I  noticed  some  dark  spots  upon  the  inner 
surface.  Thinking  that  in  some  way  I  had  soiled 
the  surface,  I  laid  the  sounding-board  down,  in- 
tending to  remove  these  spots  with  a  cloth.  But,  as 
the  sounding-board  lay  upon  the  bench,  there  was 
no  soiled  spots  to  be  seen.  They  had  disappeared. 
The  inner  surface  was  clear  and  bright.  But,  cer- 
tainly I  saw  dark  spots.  Again  I  hold  the  sound- 
ing-board up  to  the  lamp.  There  they  are,  plain 
enough;  several  of  them;  some  large,  some  small. 
They  must  be  caused  by  spots  on  the  varnished 
surface.  Critically  I  examine  the  varnish.  No 
spots  appear  thereon.  Possibly  these  spots  may  be 
due  to  opacities  in  the  wood,  but  I  find  no  opaci- 
ties; the  wood  being  clear  and  bright.  Again  I  hold 
the  sounding-board  to  the  lamp.  One,  two,  three, 
six  cloudy  areas  are  there,  and  located  on  the  up- 
per tone-producing  area  of  the  sounding-board. 

26 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

Motionless,  I  gaze  at  those  cloudy  areas,  thinking, 
thinking  hard  for  an  explanation.  Slowly  the  ex- 
planation came,  slowly  of  course.  I  am  not  brilliant; 
never  posed  as  a  prodigy;  am  slow,  but  am  a  '  'stay- 
er," also  a  smoker.  As  you  know,  smoking  is  a 
prerequisite  of  the  philosopher.  We  cannot  disas- 
sociate the  pipe  and  the  German,  neither  can  the 
world  match  him  in  solving  knotty  problems.  In 
imitation  of  the  philosopher,  I  light  my  pipe.  At 
once,  through  clouds  of  smoke,  I  see  the  cause  for 
these  cloudy  areas.  Thus  does  "smoke"  aid  phi- 
losophy. The  great  Hahnemann  established  the 
principle  that  "like  cures  like;"  or,  as  Hahnemann 
states  in  choice  Latin, '  'Similia  similibus  curantur. ' ' 

I  believe  in  Hahnemann  as  far  as  "smoke"  goes; 
yet,  that  great  thinker  did  pierce  the  thick  skin  of 
the  "regular"  doctors  with  the  sharp-pointed  fact 
that  our  doses  often  surpass  generosity.  And  now 
myself,  one  of  the  '  'regulars, ' '  am  going  to  dem- 
onstrate that  the  "infinitesimal"  can  cause  "noise" 
inside  the  violin  too.  I  believe  in  accident.  In 
due  course  of  time  I  shall  present  to  you  two  acci- 
dental occurrences  pointing  directly  at  solutions 
of  violin  tone-problems  hitherto  pronounced  un- 
solvable.  Therefore  when  meeting  unsolvable 
questions,  I  do  pray  for  an  accident. 

Only  for  accidently  carrying  this  sounding-board 
with  its  convex  surface  towards  the  lamp,  I  yet 
might  be  searching  for  the  cause  of  "noise"  in 
violin  tone;  moreover,  might  never  have  found 
the  cause.  In  the  following  narration  you  can 
plainly  see  the  unquestionable  evidence  afforded 

27 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

by  accident,  for,  in  the  light  of  theories  of  musical 
sound,  this  evidence  stands  forth  in  clear-cut 
outline. 

To  make  my  process  of  reasoning  clear,  I  call  up 
a  few  familiar  facts  in  natural  philosophy:  Thus, 
light  rays,  falling  upon  the  convex  surface  of  a  con- 
cavo-convex body,  (as  the  violin  sounding-board, ) 
after  passing  through  such  body  are  bent  from  a 
direct  line  at  the  moment  of  leaving  the  concave 
surface,  and  thence  travel  in  converging  lines  to  a 
focus;  theiJ^ore,  objects  upon  the  concave  surface 
become  magnified;  but,  reversing  the  direction  of 
travel,  light  rays  leaving  the  convex  surface,  are 
dispersed;  hence,  objects  upon  the  convex  surface 
appear  diminished  in  size;  therefore,  had  I  carried 
this  sounding-board  with  its  convex  surface 
towards  the  lamp,  I  could  not  have  seen  those 
cloudy  areas.  [The  clear  varnish  upon  the  C(  nvex 
surface  of  this  sounding-board  greatly'*  facilitates 
transmission  of  light  rays;  and,  in  applying  this 
test  for  perfect  graduation— work  upon  sounding- 
board  wood  "in  the  white"— it  is  necessary  first  to 
cover  the  convex  surface  with  some  transparent  me- 
dium, as  oil,  or  clear  varnish,  or  better,  a  mixture 
of  these  two  available  substances.] 

In  doing  graduation  work  upon  this  sounding- 
board,  I  supposed  myself  to  be  doing  fine  work; 
using  calipers  in  a  careful  manner;  yet,  I  had  fail- 
ed of  doing  perfect  work,  as  will  now  be  shown. 
Had  this  sounding-board  been  replaced  without  dis- 
covery of  those  cloudy  areas,  there  would  yet  have 
been  mixed  with  its  tone,  sound-waves  pitched  at 

28 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

inharmonious  keys— or  "noise."  As  before,  hold- 
ing the  sounding-board  to  the  lamp,  with  a  pencil 
I  circumscribe  one  of  those  areas,  and  therein,  with 
a  scraper  remove  a  little  wood.  Now,  in  this  area, 
light  comes  through  more  freely.  I  continue  thus 
with  scraper  until  this  circumscribed  area  becomes 
equally  luminous  with  adjoining  areas. 

"Qoctor,  how  much  wood  did  you  thus  remove?" 
I  cannot  answer  this  question  with  precision;  but 
say  perhaps  the  100  part  of  an  inch  in  some  places; 
in  other  places  of  deeper  cloudiness,  a  greater 
amount.  You  must  understand  the  form  of  gradu- 
ation applied  to  this  sounding-board  to  be  9-64 
inch  at  position  of  bridge;  thence,  in  either  up  ward 
o  downward  direction,  down  to  3-32  inch  at  the 
f  edge  as  near  as  practical  to  work.  Thus,  absolute 
precision  in  diminution  of  sounding-board  thickness- 
es becomes  a  matter  of  difficulty;  in  fact,  this  form  of 
sounding-board  graduation  is  not  surpassed  in  diffi- 
culty by  any  other  form  known.  You  must  also 
understand  that  where  thickness  equals  9-64,  but 
little  or  no  light  passes  through;  also,  that  great- 
est luminosity,  on  this  plate,  occurs  at  the  thickness 
of  3-32  inch;  that  between  these  two  points,  lumin- 
osity diminishes,  or  increases,  with  a  regularity 
exactly  proportionate  to  diminution,  or  increase  of 
sounding-board  thickness;  therefore,  irregularities 
in  thickness  produce  cloudy  areas  by  interfering 
with  the  passage  of  light  rays.  I  recall  rules  gov- 
erning tone-pitch.  I  call  up  the  fact  that  irregu- 
larities of  100th  inch  in  the  organ-reed,  in  organ- 
pipe,  or  on  a  tuning1  fork,  are  things  inadmissable. 

29 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

Is  such  irregularity  also  inadmissable  on  the 
violin  sounding-board?  Have  I,  at  last,  found  the 
cause  for  "noise"  in  violin  tone?  My  nerves  are 
tingling.  Forty  years  have  I  worked  upon  used 
violins  trying  to  find  a  formula  for  eradicating 
"noise"  therefrom;  worked  with  the  usual  amount 
of  "noisy"  failure.  Quicker  than  I  can  tell  it,  the 
intelligence  was  flashed  to  my  sensorium  that  those 
slight  irregularities  of  sounding-board  thicknesses 
could  produce  a  screaming,  ear-piercing,  soul-har- 
rowing, immeasurably  high-pitched  tone;  one  such 
tone  for  each  irregularity  in  the  tone-producing 
area  of  the  violin  sounding-board. 

You  have  heard  how  "prospectors"  may  "pros- 
pect for  a  lifetime  without  striking  a  "lead;"  how, 
when  they  do  strike  a  "lead"  they  immediately 
celebrate  the  event  by  going  crazy. 

Gentlemen:  The  tone  of  this  violin  is  not  accom- 
panied by  sound-waves  pitched  at  inharmonious 
keys;  and  you  now  know  the  cause  of  "noise"  in  vio- 
lin tone.  In  connection  with  the  word  "violin,"  the 
word  "noise"  vividly  recalls  untold  suffering; 
therefore,  I  shall  press  this  subject  upon  you  no 
further  than  is  necessary  for  complete  understand- 
ing of  those  high-pitched,  dissonant  overtones  pro- 
ceeding from  the  imperfect  violin  sounding-board. 
Science  states  that  musical  sound  is  comprised, 
in  tone-pitch,  from  27  to  4000  vibrations  per  second; 
and,  as  violin  "noise"  is  exasperatingly  high-pitch- 
ed, it  therefore  follows  that  violin  ''noise"  pos- 
sesses a  pitch  exceeding  4000  vibrations  per  second. 
Science  also  states  that  sound  may  be  pitched  so 

30 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

high  as  to  make  its  accurate  measurement  impos- 
sible. Thus  those  ear-piercing  violin  tones,  (not 
legitimate,  harmonic  overtones,)  become  legitimate 
objects  for  "guessing"  at  their  pitch;  and  when 
guesswork  becomes  legitimate,  'tis  the  "guesser's" 
own  fault  if  his  "guess"  is  too  low;  there- 
fore, I  "guess"  the  vibrations  of  these  suicide-sug- 
gesting "noises"  to  range  anywhere  from  20, 000  to 
20,000,000  vibrations  per  second.  In  making  this 
"guess,"  I  admit  that  my  figures  may  be  large  in 
proportion  to  the  largeness  of  my  ear;  anyway,  the 
opportunity  to  set  these  little,  pestiferous  annoy- 
ances out  in  their  true  light,  becomes  greatly  sooth- 
ing to  my  long  suffering  nerves. 

'Tis  said  revenge  is  sweet. 

I  believe  it. 

Until  after  the  occurrence  of  this  accident  reveal- 
ing the  cause  of  violin  "noise,"  I  never  once  sup- 
posed the  violin  sounding-board  to  be  thus  sensi- 
tive; yet  enough  related  examples  were  near  at 
hand  to  create  precisely  such  supposition. 

The  rusted  piano  wire,  even  only  rusted  in  local 
areas,  cannot,  nor  ever  can,  produce  tone  unmixed 
with  "noise;"  and  the  reason  is  plainly  due  to 
irregularities  in  wire-diameter  caused  by  irregular 
oxidation.  The  law  governing  production  of  musi- 
cal sound  seems  explicit,  and  seems  not  to  permit 
of  even  infinitessimal  deviations  in  tone-producing 
agents. 

Again,  an  organ  reed  slightly  out  of  "voice"  is 
easily  remedied.  If  its  pitch  be  slightly  too  low,  re- 
moval of  an  immeasurable  amount  of  metal,  from 

31 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

its  free  end,  perceptibly  raises  its  pitch;  if  too 
high,  removal  of  only  enough  metal  from  its  base 
to  brighten  the  surface,  lowers  its  pitch. 

I  now  believe  a  carefully  graduated  violin  sound- 
ing-board to  be  equally  as  sensitive  as  either  piano- 
wire,  organ-reed,  organ-pipe,  or  tuning-fork. 

"Science  never  made  a  violin." 

Gentlemen,  please  keep  your  seats. 

As  a  veteran  violin-student,  I  am  forced  by  ex- 
perience to  acquiesce  to  the  truthfullness  in  this 
startling  statement,  no  matter  how  distasteful  ac- 
quiescence may  be.  I  am  not  among  those  who 
ignore  science;  but  I  am  among  those  having  learn- 
ed to  accept  scientific  statements  with  caution. 
Science  in  chemistry,  geology,  mineralogy,  astrono- 
my, botany,  even  science  in  violinology,  so  far  as 
science  can  go,  possesses  fascination  for  me.  Once 
I  believed  every  scientific  statement  from  every 
source  whatever.  I  have  lived  to  a'  disillusion. 
Let  me  warn  you  of  the  danger  in  implicit  belief 
of  statements  originating  from  human  sources. 
There  is  but  One  Source  for  infallibility. 

In  my  day,  chemistry  was  taught  as  an  exact 
science,  equally  as  exact  as  figures  in  arithmetic. 
Therefore,  when  I  read  in  text  books  on  chemistry 
that  water  is  a  combination  of  two  elementary, 
gaseous  bodies,  hydrogen  and  oxygen,  that  water 
equals  one  equivalent  each  of  these  two  bodies, 
that  therefore  the  symbol  for  water  is  H  0,  I  be- 
lieved that  statement  to  be  infallibly  correct.  To- 
day the  symbol  for  water  is  changed;  so  greatly 
changed  that,  without  assurance,  I  could  not  know 

32 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

how  Ha  0  represents  water. 

Upon1  a  certain  occasion  at  the  University  of 
Michigan,  an  incident  occurred  making  an  impres- 
sion on  my  mind  to  last  until  death.  Twas  at  the 
hour  for  lecture  on  chemistry,  wherein  we  were 
favored  by  the  presence  of  an  old  gentleman  who 
appeared  deeply  absorbed  in.  matter  under  discus- 
sion. Among  other  topics  presented  at .  this  hour 
was  distilled  water,  a  gallon  bottle  of  which  stood 
upon  th6  lecturer's  table.  Instantly  the  lecture 
closed  this  attentive  old  gentlemen,  with  unsus- 
pected agility,  climbed  over  railing  to  operating 
floor,  pulled  the  cork  from  bottle  of  distilled  water, 
applied  his  nose,  shook  his  head,;  shook  the  bottle, 
critically  examined  the  "bead,"  then  slowly  in-- 
quired, "Is— there  T- any  thing— about— this— dis- 
tilled water— intoxicating?"' 

Today  I  am  the  old  man. 

You  are  the  alert  young  fellows. 

In  a  subdued  manner  I  ask,  '  Is  your  new  H=  O. 
stronger  than  old  HO?" 

Then,  hydrogen  was  an  element,  therefore  indiv- 
isible. Today  hydrogen  is  separated  into  argon  and 
boron.  Pin  not  your  faith  upon  human  infal- 
libility; it  is  not  in  existence.  Science  is  a 
Gollossus,  yet,  even  today,  science  can't  make  a 
violin.  Approaching  the  violin  for  its  secrets,  sci- 
ence, proud  giant,  receives  a  slap;  on  the  face  as  a 
reminder  that  in  the  world  there's  one  thing  "none 
of  his  business. "  In  other  directions,  decade  after 
decade,  science  advances  with  prodigious 'bounds; 
but  in  no  scientific  work  can  L  find  a  solution  for 

33 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

violin  tone. 

English  and  German  philosophers  both  dismiss 
violin-tone  with  a  Latin  evasion,  "sui  generis." 

French  philosophers  dismiss  violin-tone  by  giving 
it  a  name  belonging  to  all  peculiar  musical  tone, 
"ft'w&re." 

Science  never  made  a  violin. 

"Doctor,  what  did  make  the  violin?" 

Experiment,  alone,  made  the  violin. 

Science  came  along  later,  as  is  often  the  case, 
with  a  post  facto  explanation  of  a  few  facts  con- 
cerning violin-tone,  but  never  an  explanation  of  all 
facts  concerning  violin-tone. 

[Notwithstanding  the  statement  of  apologetic 
writers,  I  can  find  no  corrobation  for  the  statement 
that  Stradivarius  was  a  scientist.  That  he  was  not  a 
scientist  seems  clearly  established  by  his  earlier 
work;  that  he  was  a  tireless  experimentalist,  is 
proven  by  his  history.  That  he  is  entitled  to  cred- 
it is  proven  by  a  few  of  his  violins,  I  ask  you, 
members  of  The  Violin-Student  Club,  to  state  spec- 
ifically what  invention  for,  or  modification  of  the 
violin  is  due  to  Stradivarius. 

Silence? 

'Tis  no  wonder.] 

In  the  violin  bibliographic  list  are  nearly  200 
books.  From  these  books  only  can  we  procure  ev- 
idence. After  wading  a  distance  through  this 
mass  of  evidence  colored  by  writers  who  apologize 
for  the  Strad  "chunks"  by  stating  that  those  ab- 
normalities must  have  been  built  "on  contract," 
colored  by  writers  possessing  exhuberant  imagina- 

34 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

tion,  who  forgot  to  say  they  have  no  practical 
knowledge  of  either  violin-building,  violin-wood, 
or  violin- varnish;  colored  by  writers  who  only  know 
the  ' 'yellow"  Cremona;  again,  by  writers  who 
only  know  the  "red"  Cremona;  again,  colored  by 
trade  promoters,  one  awakens  to  the  fact  that  now 
he  knows  less  of  the  Stradivarius  violins  than  after 
having  read  but  a  single  book. 

Neither.  Gaurnerius  nor  Stradivarius  appear  to 
have  improved  violin-outline,  nor  detail  of  construc- 
tion, nor  violin  color- work,  nor  violin  varnish.  The 
first  half  of  Stradivarius'  life  work  was  gone  be- 
fore he  reduced  his  table-arching  to  that  given  to 
the  violin  by  Maggini  100  years  before.  Specific- 
ally, I  can  only  determine  that  both  Gaurnerius  and 
Stradivarius  reduced  table-thickness  to  a  degree 
wherein  lighter  strings  could  overcome  sounding- 
board  inertia  and  rigidity;  and  that,  up  to  their 
day,  their  selection  of  sounding-board  wood,  for 
solo- violin  use,  was  not  equaled.  Than  these  two 
facts,  I  can  find  nothing  farther  in  favor  of  those 
two  reputed  violin-builders.  If  added  facts  in 
their  favor  can  be  shown  me,  I  will  honor  them. 
That  Italian  music-builders,  demanding  three  oc- 
taves of  musical  tone  from  each  violin-string,  gave 
the  hint  for  reductions  in  sounding-board  thick- 
nesses is  extremely  plausible.  That  Gaurnerius 
and  Stradivarius  were  first  in  supplying  such  de- 
mand is  in  evidence. 

I  think  I  may  safely  consider  that  both  reduction 
in  table-thicknesses  and  the  selection  of  sounding- 
board  wood  of  softer  fiber,  were  then  looked  upon  as 

35 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

innovations;  and  that,  by  other  violin-builders,  both 
of  these  men  were  looked  upon  as  "cranks."  But 
both  men,  as  solo-violin-builders,  were  winners,  al- 
though each  adopted  a  different  plan  for  accom- 
plishing1 sounding-board  reductions  of  thicknesses. 

Ole  Bull  demanded  four  octaves  of  musical  tone 
from  each  violin-string. 

He  found  satisfaction  in  a  '  'Joseph. ' ' 

Paganni,  it  is  claimed,  delighted  in  light  violin- 
strings.  Paganni  was  the  first  great  soloist  to 
exploit  the  Gaurnerius  violin.  Honeyman,  in  an 
indefinite  way,  states  that  the  Gaurnerius  sound- 
ing-board is  "thinnest  throughout  the  central 
portion. ' ' 

It  is  a  matter  of  interest  to  note  the  varying 
opinions  of  violin  players  concerning  the  varying 
tone  in  the  violins  of  the  great  violin-builders. 

Ole  Bull  expresses  surprise  at  seeing  his  contem- 
porary, DeBeriot,  appear  in  public  with  a  Maggini. 

In  speaking  of  his  Strad,  Ole  Bull  substantially 
says,  "I  never  play  it  in  public  because  of  its  nasal 
twang,"  (See  Ole  Bull  Memoirs,  by  Sarah  C.,  his 
wife. )  I  call  your  attention  to  notable  omission  in 
statements  concerning  the  Stradivarius  violins— 
that  the  speaker  or  writer  generally  omits  to  men- 
tion in  which  of  Strad 's  "periods"  his  particular 
violin  was  made.  I  can  only  account  for  such  omis- 
sion upon  the  hypothesis  that  the  speaker,  or  writ- 
er, considers  violins  from  only  one  of  Strad 's  four 
"periods"  to  possess  tone- value  worthy  of  remark. 

Gentlemen,  you  make  a  mistake  if  you  interpret 
me  as  not  joining  in  the  praise  universally  accord- 

•      36 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ed  these  two  famous  violin  builders;  but  my  praise 
is  bestowed  only  for  a  definite  reason ;  that  is,  the 
great  violins  of  these  two  great  makers  are  only 
great  as  solo-violins. 

"Pis  honor  enough,  and  richly  deserved  for  their 
bold  innovation  and  correct  judgement  of  sounding- 
board  wood, 

My  point  is  this:  The  unlimited  praise  bestowed 
upon  these  solo-violins  has  driven  an  army  of  vio- 
lin-makers to  life-long  effort  at  reproduction  of 
solo-violins,  until  today,  there  is  scarcely  a  good 
orchestra  violin  on  the  market. 

"Doctor,  do  you  mean  to  say  that  the  best  solo- 
violin  is  not  also  a  best  orchestra  violin?" 

Yes,  sir. 

"How  is  that?" 

The  sounding-board  of  the  best  solo-violin  is  too 
light  in  wood  to  withstand  the  terrific  force  of 
sound-waves  from  full  orchestra  instruments. 

"Doctor,  please  explain. " 

Thus:  The  violin  sounding-board  to  yield  three 
octaves  of  agreeable  tone  upon  each  string,  must 
be  reduced  in  thickness  to  the  point  of  weakness  in 
presence  of  harmony- waves  from  full-orchestra; 
and  because  of  such  weakness,  its  tones  are  smoth- 
ered by  overpowering  harmony-instruments. 

"But,  Doctor,  we  understood  that  first- violin 
sound-waves  ride  on  top  of  harmony- waves. ' ' 

Correct,  sir,  so  long  as  first-violin-waves  have 
sufficient  propelling  strength  to  keep  them  on  top. 
The  swimmer,  so  long  as  his  strength  is  sufficient, 
may  keep  himself  on  the  crest  of  a  huge  wave,  but 

37 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

when  strength  fails  his  next  position  is  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  trough;  next,  at  the  bottom  of  the. sea. 
To  say,  '  'the  violin  reached  perfection  200  years 
ago,"  means  much  and  means  little.  To  say  the 
solo- violin  reached  perfection  200  years  ago  is  near- 
er correct,  and  is  not  so  misleading.  We  should 
insist  upon  definite  specifications  in  this  matter, 
because  of  different  tone-characters  being  demand- 
ed from  the  violin.  We  only  need  a  moment  of 
attention  to  understand  the  absurdity  of  so  much 
misdirected  effort  to  produce  solo-violins  while  the 
demand  for  orchestra  violins  is  in  the  ascendant. 
Only  a  few  solo-violins  are  in  actual  employment 
at  any  given  date,  while  the  general  purpose-violin 
and  the  orchestra  violin  in  large  numbers,  are  in 
hourly  employment. 

"Doctor,  please  explain  your  meaning  by  gener- 
al-purpose violin  and  full-orchestra  violin." 

With  pleasure,  sir. 

Thus:  The  general-purpose  violin  is  one  whose 
tone-pitch,  upon  G  and  D  strings,  is  distinctly  of 
the  bass  character,  while  the  tone-pitch  of  A  and 
E  strings  is  distinctly  of  soprano  character:  the 
full-orchestra  violin  is  one  whose  G  and  D  string 
tone-pitch  is  of  baritone  character,  while  the  pitch 
of  a  A  and  E  strings  is  distinctly  of  soprano  char- 
acter. 

"Can  these  different  tone-characters  be  given  to 
violins  at  will? 

Yes,  sir. 

"Please  tell  us  how." 

By  combining,  in  the  work  of  violin-building,  cer- 

38 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

tain  rules  to  be  found  in  Lecture  III,   governing 
pitch  of  tone-producing  agents. 

By  reason  of  repeated,  practical  demonstrations,  I 
am  able  to  assure  correctness  of  these  rules.  Before 
leaving  the  question  of  '  Violin  perfection  200  years 
ago,"  let  me  direct  your  attention  to  two  of  its 
evil  consequences. 

First:  It  acts  as  a  discouragement  to  further 
experiment. 

Second:  It  acts  to  place  a  fictitious  value  upon 
a  few  violins  of  that  date. 

Industrious  "trade  promoters"  have  lost  no  op- 
portunity for  befogging  the  public  in  the  matter  of 
old,  solo- violin  values;  thus  the  public  erroneously 
demands  that  every  soloist  shall  appear  only  with 
either  a '  'Joseph* '  or  a  '  'Strad' '  under  his  arm.  But, 
today  there  are  unmistakable  signs  that  the  public 
is  emerging  from  the  fog;  a  few  observing  persons, 
having  the  courage  of  conviction,  pronounce  "pass- 
ing benediction"  upon  the  "old  violin."  My  own 
veneration,  reverance,  worship,  call  it  what  you 
will,  for  the  "old  violin"  was  cruelly  shattered 
years  ago  by  discovering  that  the  violin  may  be- 
come "too  old",  also,  by  discovering  the  fact  that 
a  modern  violin  can  be  made  to  appear  '  'remark- 
ably preserved." 

But  a  few  years  ago  the  public  was  given  an  op- 
portunity for  observing  the  inanity  of  continuing 
the  demand  that  the  soloist  use  only  old  violins  upon 
all  occasions.  'Twas  at  the  Chicago  Auditorium. 
My  friend,  Mr.  Beebe,  himself  a  violin-maker  of 
repute,  upon  first  occasion,  seated  himself  quite 

39 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES.' 

near  the  stage;  upon  a  second  occasion,  seated  him- 
self farther  away  from  the  stage;  and,  upon  a  third 
occasion,  in  the  most  distant  seat;  all  for  the  pur- 
pose of  judging  tone  from  a  Strad  in  the  hands  of 
a  star  soloist  wise  enough  to  permit  only  piano  ac* 
companiment  for  his  old  violin.  Mr.  Beebe  rejoices 
in  scheduling  a  musically-trained  ear,  and  I,  of  my 
own  knowledge,  have  assurance  that  said  ear,  in 
the  presence  of  violin  tone,  stands  conspicuously 
forward.  'Therefore,  when  Mr.  Beebe  states  that, 
while  in  a  distant  Auditorium  seat,  certain  efforts 
of  the  great  violinist  were  disappointing  because  of 
weakness  in  the  tone  of  that  old  violin,  I  accept 
such  statement  as  coming  from  a  reliable  authority. 

This  incident  shows  the  fictitious  value  placed 
upon  old  violins.  That  Strad  is  valued  at  several 
thousands— a  Beebe  at  a  few  hundreds.  I  value 
most  that  violin  having  the  most  satisfying  tone. 

Gentlemen:  Let  me  advise  that  you  build  violins 
with  a  view  to  some  particular  place  of  usefullness. 
Thus,  when  building  for  solo  use,  reduce  sounding- 
board  thickness  to  a  degree  yielding  three  octaves 
of  musical  sound  from  each  string.  When  building 
a  general-purpose  violin,  reduce  dimensions  of  bar 
and  sounding-board  beneath  >G  and  D  strings  to 
give  those  strings  the  basso  tone-character,  while 
leaving  sufficient  wood  beneath  A  and  E  strings 
to  give  thein  the  soprano  tone-pitch.  In  building 
for  orchestra  us^e,  then  leave  sufficient  wood  beneath 
all  strings  to  secure  the  baritone-soprano  tone- 
character.  '  <  ' 

After  fifty  years  of  practical  work  given  to  violin 

40 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

tone-peculiarities,  such  are  my  conclusions  in  the 
matter  of  violin  building. 

I  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that,  in  skillfully 
made  violins,  a  wide  range  of  tone- value  exists; 
and  to  the  fact  that  such  wide  range  of  tone- value 
is  due  to  inherent  differences  in  quality  of  sounding- 
board  wood.  Neither  you,  nor  I,  nor  any  person 
whatsoever,  can  exactly  pre-determine  the  tone- 
quality  of  any  given  sample  of  sounding-board 
wood.  In  this  fact  lies  the  reason  why  science 
cannot  build  a  violin. 

I  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  'tis  an  easy  mat- 
ter to  build  the  "noisy"  violin  sounding-board. 
For  such  work  the  equipment  is  contained  in  the 
following  bill: 

1  Three-quarter-inch-gouge. 

1  Jack-knife. 

1  Twenty-five-cent  workman. 

For  the  latter  "tool"  we  must  resort  to  importa- 
tion from  Germany.  Even  then  it  is  a  failure  on 
this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  When  once  that  twenty- 
five-cent  "tool"  puts  foot  on  American  soil,  "he" 
becomes  a  two-dollar  man. 

Peace  to  thee,  0  America! 


41 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 
LECTURE  III. 

GENTLEMEN:— You  understand  the  aim  of  our 
society  includes  the  study  of  both  musical  and  un- 
musical sound  produced  by  the  violin.  It  is  not 
agreeable  to  admit  other  than  musical  tone  as  a  pos- 
sibility for  the  violin.  Instinctively,  we  are  wont 
to  consider  "sweetness"  and  "violin"  to  be  synon- 
ymous terms.  Even  to  speak  of  the  "noisy"  vio- 
lin, is  rasping  to  our  sensory  nerves,  while  enforced 
listening  to  such  violins  is  positive  torture.  Under 
the  heading,  "Cruelty  to  Humanity,"  the  sale  and 
use  of  "noisy"  violins  should  receive  statutory  pro- 
hibition. It  is  a  lamentable  fact  that  the  most  mu- 
sic-destroying sound  can  come  from  close  imitations 
of  the  violin.  The  outward  appearance  of  these 
fraudulent  imitations  is  the  trap  set  for  the  inno- 
cent purchaser.  Because  of  appearances,  the  pur- 
chaser thinks  himself  in  possession  of  a  violin.  Such 
deluded  victims  are  today  found  in  every  direction. 
In  the  credulous  ear  of  every  one  of  these  victims 
was  sung  that  siren  song,  '  'The  violin  always  im- 
proves with  age  and  use."  In  trying  to  apply  this 
old  song  to  the  imitations  of  the  violin,  trouble  be- 
gins. The  victim's  family  is  made  to  suffer  from 
an  attack  of  "nerves,"  and, .his  immediate  vicinity 
is  wholly  avoided  by  Music.  His  industrious"bow- 
arm  is  spurred  to  increased  activity  by  hope  of  tone- 
improvement.  Steadfastly  and  affectionately,  he 
addresses  that  imitation  as  "old  shell."  The  years 
roll  by  with  no  improvement  in  tone.  Frequently 
gray-heads,  with  doubting  mein,  have  brought 
these  imitations  to  me.  (Doubtfully,)  "Doctor,  can 

42 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

you  tell  me  what  ails  my  old  shell?"  Rapidly  I  run 
the  bent  "sound"  across  the  inner  surface  of  the 
sounding-board,  the  rattle  therefrom  suggesting 
the  tinner's  cart  on  corduroy  road. 

"Yes,  sir,  I  can  tell  you." 

"What  is  it?" 

"It's  fraud." 

As  I  remove  the  sounding-board,  permitting  his 
doubt-expressing  eyes  to  look  upon  the  scene  with- 
in his  "old  shell,"  the  frozen  smile  on  his  wrinkled 
face  is  something  truly  pathetic.  The  graduation, 
(begging  pardon  for  the  use  of  that  word, )  of  this 
imitation  sounding-board  is  entirely  accomplished 
with  gouge  and  jack-knife.  The  bar  is  a  "chunk" 
left  by  haste  of  gouge,  and  thoughtfully  smoothed 
by  jack-knife  upon  the  side  exposed  to  your  inspec- 
tion. Because  you  cannot  see  them,  the  two  upper 
corners  are  forgotten.  The  linings,  of  various  di- 
mensions, are  both  too  long,  and  too  short.  Out- 
wardly, this  fraud  appears  like  the  violin.  Although 
the  varnish  is  of  cheap  quality,  the  coloring  is  quite 
artistic. 

Here  is  a  lifetime  devoted  to  music,  yet,  wasted, 
wasted  by  this  damnable  imposition  upon  an  inno- 
cent, credulous,  unwary  purchaser.  Moreover,  in 
this  great,  enlightened,  (beg  pardon  once  more, ) 
liberty-giving  United  States  of  North  America,  this 
same  premeditated,  unmitigated  fraud  is  sold  by 
thousands.  Such  gigantic  imposition  upon  music- 
loving  people  is  sufficient  cause  for  murderous  sen- 
timents within  a  heart  of  stone.  These  frauds  are  the 
product  of  combined  cupidity,  stupidity,  and  heart- 

43 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

lessness.  Cupidity,  in  these  frauds,  is  shown  by 
charging  more  than  kindling-wood  prices,  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  quotations  are  placed  in  the 
"pfennige"  column.  In  these  frauds,  stupidity  is 
shown  in  the  fact  that  fifteen  minutes  more  work 
upon  the  sounding-board  might  place  quotations  in 
the  "marks"  column.  In  these  frauds,  heartless- 
ness  is  shown  by  the  premeditated  murder  of 
Music.  The  criminality  of  these  fraud-builders  ex- 
ceeds the  criminality  of  one  who  robs  little  child- 
ren, because  they  combine  murder  with  robbery. 
Poor  Music!  Standing  aghast  at  sight  of  her  fav- 
orite haunt  no  longer  habitable!  While  professing 
friendship,  you,  Mr.  Fraud-builder  are  the  cause  of 
her  anguish.  To  you,  and  to  such  as  you,  and  of 
you,  I  say  '  'Hell  knoweth  not  a  greater  villain. ' ' 

Thou  0  Violin!    Thou 
Who  art  sweet  Musicsonly  King! 
Must  thy  witching  form  conceal 
Cupidity's  rankling  deadly  sting? 
Men!     Arise!    Stand  up  now 
In  ranks  of  those  who  wish  to  fight 
To  kill  this  robbing  deadly  thing, 
And  give  to  Music  hers  by  right. 

"Doctor,  how  may  the  innocent  purchaser  know 
Cupidity's  hand?" 

My  friend,  the  case  is  hopeless  when  the  purchas- 
er is  so  innocent  as  to  be  thereby  unable  to  read, 
'  'Made  in  Germany. ' ' 

After  a  lifetime  given  to  the  production  of  violin- 

44 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

tone,  I  am  compelled  to  acknowledge  the  disbelief 
in  the  possibility  of  satisfactory  solution  for  all 
problems  involved  therein.  I  am  also  compelled  to 
state  that  my  experience,  and  conclusions,  in  the 
matter  of  how  the  violin  operates  to  produce  musi- 
cal sound,  do  not  add  corrobation  to  the  theories  of 
Savart,  Honeyman,  et  al.  Although  unable  to 
solve  all  problems  in  violin  tone,  yet,  I  do  not  re- 
gard my  efforts  thereat  to  be  entirely  fruitless.  I 
give  you  my  conclusions  and  principles,  so  far  as 
they  are  satisfying  to  myself,  in  terms  as  clear  in 
meaning  and  as  concise  in  form  as  I  am  able  to 
command.  I  shall  not  indulge  in  abstract  theories. 
My  conclusions  are  all  worded  after  actual,  practi- 
cal, repeated  tests  upon  the  used  violin,  except  the 
principles  of  sounding-board  graduation  for  maxi- 
mum evenness  of  tone.  As  will  be  shown  later, 
this  principle,  for  reasons  of  physical  disability,  re- 
ceived but  a  single  demonstration.  Whatever  of 
value  may  exist  in  my  conclusions  is  hereby  be- 
queathed to  you. 

I  now  call  up  the  matter  of  violin  tone-pitch. 
[This  feature  of  violin  tone  is  worthy  of  careful 
consideration.  Other  things  being  satisfactory, 
tone-pitch  should  govern  the  place  of  usefullness 
for  each  violin.  Thus:  The  violin  of  low  tone-pitch 
throughout  should  not  be  placed  at  the  head  of  full 
orchestra,  and,  for  the  reason  that  its  tones  have 
not  sufficient  intensity,  (carrying  power)  to  satisfy 
the  distant  listening  ear.  The  place  for  the  violin 
of  low  tone-pitch  throughout,  is  that  of  the  solo 
instrument.  Again,  the  violin  of  high  tone-pitch 

45 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

throughout,  should  not  be  employed  as  a  solo  in- 
strument, and,  because  its  high-pitched  tones, 
alone,  are  disagreeable  to  the  listening  ear.  I  have 
known  the  reputation  of  a  creditable  soloist  to  be 
ruined  by  his  employment  of  a  good,  high-pitched, 
orchestra  violin  as  a  solo  instrument.] 

I  have  formulated  eight  rules,  each  of  which  is 
capable  of  modifying  violin  tone-pitch.  For  con- 
venience of  reference  these  rules  are  numbered 
consecutively  from  I  to  VIII.  As  frequent  refer- 
ence will  be  given  to  these  rules,  they  are  therefore 
placed  in  a  group. 

Rule  /.—Lengthening  a  tone-producing  agent, 
other  dimensions  remaining  equal,  lowers  tone- 
pitch. 

Rule  //.—Shortening  a  tone-producing  agent, 
other  dimensions  remaining  equal,  raises  tone-pitch. 

Rule  III.  —Increasing  thickness  of  a  tone-produc- 
ing agent,  other  dimensions  remaining  equal,  raises 
tone-pitch. 

Rule  IV.—  Diminishing  thickness  of  a  tone-pro- 
ducing agent,  other  dimensions  remaining  equal, 
lowers  tone-pitch. 

Rule  V.  —Lengthening  confined  perpendicular  air 
columns,  lowers  tone-pitch. 

Rule  VI.  —  Shortening  confined,  perpendicular  air 
columns,  raises  tone-pitch. 

Rule  VII.—  Enlarging  sounding-board  exits, 
raises  tone-pitch. 

Rule  VIII.—  Reducing  sounding-board  exits,  low- 
ers tone-pitch. 

In  practical  violin  building,  or  in  violin  toning, 

46 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

each  of  these  rules  possesses  value.  In  my  practice, 
application  of  these  rules  is  given  to  the  sounding- 
board  alone.  In  no  way  do  I  apply  any  of  these 
rules  to  the  back  plate.  After  long  continued  ex- 
periment, I  am  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
chief  function  of  the  back  is  that  of  a  reflecting 
medium.  Therefore,  I  only  demand  of  the  back 
sufficient  rigidity  to  withstand,  without  a  tremor, 
the  terrific  charge  of  molecular  wave-movement 
originating  at  the  inner  surface  of  the  sounding- 
board;  and,  that  its  fiber  be  fine,  and  dense, 
and  susceptible  of  high  polish.  Thus,  when  "fin- 
ished," the  inner  surface  of  the  back  presents  a 
perfect  reflecting  surface.  I  do  not  say  that 
the  back  cannot  modify  tone-pitch.  On  the  con- 
trary, I  state  that  the  rigidity  of  the  back  may  be 
reduced  until  the  tone-pitch  of  the  violin  is  lowered 
to  a  hollow,  feeble,  worthless  degree.  I  have 
found  many  violins  thus  ruined;  more  thus  ruined 
than  by  great  reduction  of  sounding-board  rigid- 
ity. Indeed,  many  violin  builders  attempt  to  reg- 
ulate tone-pitch  by  reducing  rigidity  of  the  back. 
In  my  experience  with  the  long-distance  test  for 
intensity,  (carrying  power)  of  tone,  this  manner  of 
regulating  tone-pitch  has  proven  itself  seriously 
erroneous.  The  tone  of  every  violin,  thus  regulat- 
ed, has  fallen  far  behind  in  the  distance  record. 
Speaking  for  myself,  regulation  of  tone-pitch  by 
reduction  of  sounding-board  rigidity,  has  proven 
itself  to  be  the  safer  method.  Therefore,  these 
rules  for  governing  tone-pitch  are  applied  to  the 
sounding-board. 

47 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

I  will  now  consider  the  practical  application  of 
Rule  I:  "Lengthening  a  tone-producing  agent, 
other  dimensions  remaining  equal,  lowers  tone- 
pitch."  In  application  of  this  "rule  to  the  sounding- 
board,  its  effects  are  greater  upon  the  tone-pitch 
of  G  and  D-strings  than  upon  tone-pitch  of  A  and 
E-strings.  As  an  aid  to  illustration,  I  will  suppose 
that  here  is  a  sounding-board  having  a  uniform 
thickness  of  8-64.  This  thickness  of  sounding- 
board,  together  with  bar  dimensions,  in  length, 
lOi  inches,  thickness,  3-16,  depth,  I,  tapering  to 
ends,  give5  a  high-pitch  character  to  Gand  D-string 
tone,  not  the  highest,  yet  high.  Desiring  to  lower 
th«  tone-pitch  of  the  G  and  D-strings,  I  proceed  to 
iengthen  the  tone-producing  agent  according  to 
Rule  I.  For  the  purpose  of  limiting  the  tone-pitch 
to  the  G  and  D-strings,  at  one-half  inch  upon  either 
side  of  the  bar  I  draw  pencil  lines  extending  to 
as  near  the  purfing  and  end  blocks  as  is  practical 
for  reduction  of  sounding-board  thickness.  Within 
these  lines,  beginning  at  the  position  of  the  bridge, 
I  gradually  reduce  the  thickness  down  to  4-64  at 
ends  of  the  plate;  also,  outside  of  these  lines,  thick- 
ness gradually  increases  to  8-64.  Upon  trial,  the 
tone-pitch  of  the  G  and  D-strings  is  found  to  be 
perceptibly  lowered.  Thus  is  the  fact  demonstrat- 
ed that,  in  the  sounding-board  of  8-64  throughout, 
the  whole  length  thereof  does  not  act  with  suffic- 
ient energy  to  produce  audible  sound;  also,  thus  is 
demonstrated  the  correctness  of  Rule  I. 

I  call  up  Rule  II:     "Shortening  a  tone-producing 
agent,  other  dimensions  remaining  equal,   raises 

48 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

tone-pitch. ' '  Evidently,  the  application  of  this  rule 
must  occur  at  the  time  of  constructing  the  sound- 
ing-board; thereafter,  it  cannot  apply.  In  the  il- 
lustration for  lowering  tone-pitch,  by  lenthening 
the  tone-producing  agent,  is  sufficient  data  for 
raising  tone-pitch  by  shortening  the  tone-producing 
agent. 

Rule  III:  "Increasing  thickness  of  a  tone-pro- 
ducing agent,  other  dimensions  remaining  equal, 
raises  tone-pitch. ' '  This  rule  is  applied  at  time  of 
construction.  I  have  found  a  few  sounding-boards 
having  a  thickness  of  i  at  the  position  of  the  bridge; 
and  two  having  the  same  great  thickness  through- 
out the  length  of  the  center  join.  The  extremely 
high-pitched  tone  from  the  sounding-board  thus 
heavy  in  wood,  is  not  enjoyed  even  at  a  distance 
out  of  doors.  In  troubador  days,  such  high-pitch- 
ed, out-of-doors  tone  was  popular;  in  fact,  quite 
necessary  to  satisfy  the  public  taste.  Today  the 
street  musician,  taking  pattern  after  "ye  olden 
time,"  is  yet  successful  in  making  the  public  part 
with  its  pennies  by  use  of  such  high-pitched  violins; 
and  personally,  I  do  not  object,  so  long  as  he  ac- 
cepts my  penny  as  a  hint  to  move  on.  (Honeyman 
again,  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  the 
Nicolas  Amatus  sounding-board  has  a  thickness  of 
i  inch  throughout  the  length  of  the  center  join, 
thence,  laterally,  down  to  £  at  the  edges. ) 

Rule  IV:  "Diminishing  thickness  of  a  tone-pro- 
ducing agent,  other  dimensions  remaining  equal, 
lowers  tone-pitch. "  The  high-pitched  tone  from 
the  thick  sounding-board  is  lowered  by  reducing 

49 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

thickness  thereof.  Lowering  tone-pitch  by  reduc- 
ing sounding-board  thickness  requires  caution,  be- 
cause this  work  brings  into  employ  two  powerful 
factors,  as  will  be  shown  after  Rule  V,  towit: 
"Lengthening  confined  perpendicular  air  columns, 
lowers  tone-pitch."  Thus,  in  lowering  tone-pitch 
by  reducing  sounding-board  thickness,  the  same  re- 
duction also  lengthens  perpendicular  air  columns 
within  the  body  of  the  violin;  therefore,  two  fact- 
ors are  in  employ;  and  hence  the  necessity  for  cau- 
tion. In  a  sounding-board  of  sonorous  wood,  with 
the  thickness  reduced  to  8-64  throughout,  a  further 
reduction  of  1-64  causes  perceptible  lowering  of 
tone-pitch;  and,  from  7-64,  the  further  reduction 
of  1-64,  lowers  tone-pitch  two  times  more  than  the 
lowering  effected  from  8-64  to  7-64.  I  attribute 
such  arithmetical  increase  in  pitch-lowering  to  the 
simultaneous  employment  of  two  factors. 

Rule  VI:  "Shortening  confined,  perpendicular 
air  columns,  raises  tone-pitch. ' '  For  the  purpose  of 
raising  tone-pitch  of  a  violin  whose  table  thicknesses 
are  already  at,  or  below  the  danger  figures,  I  have 
successfully  applied  this  rule  by  diminishing  depth 
of  ribs;  thus  shortening  perpendicular  air  columns 
within  the  body.  The  fact  that  shortening  perpen- 
dicular columns  raises  tone  pitch  is  demonstrated 
in  numerous  familiar  ways,  as  in  the  organ-pipe, 
the  steam  whistle,  et  cetera.  As  a  practical  dem- 
onstration of  this  rule,  I  have  diminished  depth  of 
ribs  by  1-16  inch,  making  a  test  at  each  reduction. 
The  result  affords  ample  proof  of  correctness  in 
Rule  VI. 

50 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

Rule  VII:  "Enlarging  exits,  raises  tone-pitch." 
In  practice,  I  only  apply  this  rule  after  testing  the 
tone  of  any  given  violin.  Experience  affords 
proof  of  correctness  in  this  rule.  As  a  matter  of 
safety,  the  areas  of  the  exits  should  be  made  rath- 
er small  at  the  time  of  constructing  the  sounding- 
board.  After  testing  the  pitch  of  the  finished  vio- 
lin, should  the  pitch  be  found  but  slightly  lower 
than  desired,  the  fault  may  be  remedied  by  a 
slight  enlargement  of  exit  area.  In  this  work,  I 
prefer  to  make  such  enlargement  by  removing 
wood  from  the  inner  edge  of  the  exits,  and  for  the 
purpose  of  bringing  the  exits  nearer  the  focal 
points  of  sound-wave  concentration.  [Upon  a  later 
occasion,  sound-wave  concentration  at  the  exits 
will  receive  consideration.] 

Rule  VIII:  "Reducing  area  of  exits,  lowers 
tone-pitch."  Application  of  this  rule  should  be 
made  at  time  of  construction,  although  its  applica- 
tion to  the  finished  violin  is  possible.  Reduced  area 
of  exits  is  a  powerful  factor  for  lowering  tone- 
pitch,  and  for  diminishing  volume  of  tone.  For 
the  production  of  the  most  agreeable  violin  tone  for 
studio  uses;  I  know  of  nothing  among  tone-pitch 
modifiers,  of  greater  importance  than  the  small 
exit. 

Musical  sound  is  a  fascinating  subject  to  the  vio- 
lin student.  In  that  quality  of  sound  called  '  'pitch" 
there  is  ample  material  for  study.  Some  of  the 
problems  in  sound  are  solvable;  some  are  not  solv- 
able. The  problem  of  absolute  pitch  is  solvable  by 
mechanisms  able  to  record  the  number  of  blows 

51 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

per  second  delivered  upon  air  molecules.  Thus, 
the  pitch  of  any  sound  is  governed  by  the  striking 
agent,  or,  tone-producing  agent.  But,  this  fact  by 
no  means  is  a  solution  of  all  the  problems  involved 
in  pitch.  Absolute  pitch  does  not  cover  all  the 
ground.  Words  seem  inadequate  to  even  state  all 
the  problems  in  pitch  of  sound.  Viewing  the  prob- 
lems of  pitch  from  the  standpoint  of  the  violin,  we 
are  compelled  to  admit  eight  modifying  factors,  (as 
formulated  in  Rules  I- VIII, )  in  the  production  of 
violin  sound,  while  but  one  of  these  factors  is  the 
striking  agent! 

Tis  hard  work  to  formulate  the  problems  in  vio- 
lin tone;  'tis  even  harder  work  to  solve  these  prob- 
lems after  formulations.  I  bequeath  their  solution 
to  you.  By  your  side-long  glances,  and  averted 
faces,  I  infer  you  do  not  estimate  my  bequest  as  a 
valuable  asset.  Perhaps  such  asset  is  not«valuable. 
'Tis  an  easy  matter  to  bequeath  assets  of  which  one 
is  not  "seized."  But,  because  solution  for  violin- 
tone-problem  is  not  now  forthcoming,  'tis  not 
certain  that  such  solution  never  will  be  forthcom- 
ing. I  advise  continuance  of  effort.  Little  by  lit- 
tle the  solution  of  these  problems  may  come  to  each 
persevering  student. 

Myself,  to  continue  the  subject,  must  resort  to 
assumption  of  fact,  and  mix  it  with  a  few  positive 
facts,  together  with  reasoning  from  analogy. 
Whether  or  not,  such  mixtures  may  be  found  agree- 
able to  your  palates,  depends  largely  upon  your  en- 
thusiasm, together  with  my  power  of  persuasion. 

Proceeding:     A  body  may  vibrate  and  yet  not 

52 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

produce  audible  sound.  To  produce  audible  sound, 
the  sound-producing  agent  must  deliver  blows  of 
sufficient  energy,  upon  contiguous  air  molecules,  as 
to  cause  movement  in  every  air  molecule  between 
the  striking  point  and  our  tympani;  otherwise  we 
are  not  conscious  of  sound.  These  are  facts.  The 
following  point  is  an  assumption.  Thus:  I  assume 
that  the  entire  14-inch  length  of  the  assembled 
sounding-board  cannot  act  upon  air  molecules  with 
sufficient  energy  to  produce  audible  sound;  but,  I 
am  compelled  to  be  content  with  an  approximation 
thereto.  The  difficulties  in  the  way  of  precision  in 
this  matter  are  great.  The  differences  in  the  elas- 
ticity of  different  samples  of  wood  are  infinite. 
Again,  but  slight  increase  in  height  of  arch  adds 
to  sounding-board  rigidity.  As  a  mere  assumption, 
I  give  the  greatest  length  of  sounding-board,  act- 
ing to  produce  audible  sound,  as  equaling  12  inches. 
In  practice,  to  secure  such  12-inch  length,  I  reduce 
thickness  from  position  of  the  bridge  gradually 
down  to  4-64  as  near  the  ends  of  the  sounding- 
board  as  is  practical.  I  consider  sounding-board 
thickness  at  the  edges,  when  down  to  4-64,  to  be 
at  the  limit  of  safety;  and,  this  degree  of  reduction 
I  only  employ  when  desiring  the  lowest,  practical, 
tone-pitch  for  G-strings. 

Should  it  happen  that  too  great  reduction  of 
tone-pitch  follows  reduction  of  sounding-board 
thickness,  a  reduction  of  thickness  sufficient  to 
to  cause  a  hollow,  feeble  tone,  I  know  of  no  reme- 
dy by  increasing  sounding-board  thickness;  that  is, 
no  such  remedy  having  value.  I  do  know  that  in 

53 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

the  city  of  Chicago  there  lives  a  man  who  claims 
ability  to  restore  tone-pitch  of  violins  by  means  of 
thin  veneer  of  wood  applied' to  the  inner  surface  of 
the  sounding  board.  A  violin,  thus  treated,  was 
brought  to  me  with  the  request  that  something  be 
done  for  its  dullness  of  tone.  Not  knowing  what 
had  been  done  to  this  violin,  I  first  applied  the  bow 
as  usual,  expecting  thereby  to  determine  necessary 
work.  But,  its  tone  effectually  took  away  all  my 
conceit.  In  no  way  could  I  pre-determine  the  cause 
of  such  extraordinary  dullness  of  sound.  In  haste  I 
removed  the  sounding-board  —  -  0  Chicago! 
You,  so  careful  not  to  keep  your  lights  under  a 
bushel!  How  have  you  lost  distinction!  Of 
your  surgeons  you  have  taken  good  care.  Their 
reputation  is  world-wide.  But  the  reputation  of 
your  fiddle-surgeon  has  not  been  equally  nursed. 
By  your  permission,  I  will  assist  in  correcting  the 
oversight.  First,  I  will  describe  the  display  of 
plastic  surgery  within  this  violin.  Second,  I  will 
prescribe  a  course  of  treatment  for  the  surgeon. 
The  area  covered  by  veneer  equals  I  of  the  sound- 
ing-board; but,  such  areas  are  divided  into  two  ter- 
ritories, one  at  either  end  of  the  plate.  The  thick- 
ness of  the  veneer  equals  1-32.  Its  color  is  dark 
brown.  In  fiber  it  is  like  coarse  paper.  Its  coher- 
ent strength  does  not  equal  that  of  good  paper.  It 
is  cut  in  pieces  of  miscellaneous  dimensions;  some 
of  the  pieces  being  2x4  inches,  some  down  to  £  by 
2  inches.  In  places  the  veneer  is  doubled.  In 
placing  the  fragments  in  position,  no  order  of  work 
prevails;  the  length  of  some  being  across  the  grain 

54 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

of  the  sounding-board;  of  others,  with  the  grain, 
and  others,  oblique  to  the  grain,  while  between 
patches  are  areas  unaccountably  overlooked.  The 
scene  arouses  unbounded  astonishment.  Prior  to 
this  moment  I  prided  myself  on  ability  to  determine 
the  cause  of  violin  tone-faults  by  use  of  the  bow. 
Now  is  my  pride  humbled.  'Tis  said  one  never 
becomes  too  old  to  learn.  'Tis  a  truth.  Poor  vio- 
lin! By  your  degradation  am  I  learning.  Before 
your  pitiable  condition  became  known  to  me,  I  had 
supposed  those  insatiable  monsters,  heat  and  moist- 
ure, were  your  most  relentless  enemies.  But,  you 
have  come  to  teach  me  that  I  was  in  error,  to  teach 
me  your  worst  enemy  is  man.  And  this  man  lives 
in  Chicago!  These  patches  of  veneer  are  not  attach- 
ed to  the  sounding-board  by  glue,  but,  by  thick 
paste.  Thanks  for  the  little  mercy!  With  cloth 
wrung  from  hot  water  the  paste  is  easily  softened, 
and  I  lift  the  various  patches  entire.  Those  patch- 
es, where  veneer  is  doubled,  fill  me  with  surprise 
at  the  generosity  of  a  Chicagoan.  His  bill  might 
be  equally  large  by  saving  the  extra  pieces.  The 
whole  affair  is.  inexplicable.  How  this  man  can 
live  in  Chicago  and  escape  notoriety  is  one  of  the 
mysteries.  But,  the  prescription,  richly  merited 
by  this  man,  has  nothing  of  mystery  about  it.  It 
is  a  prescription  dictated  by  justice.  Here  is  a  vi- 
olin without  fault  of  serious  degree,  except  that  of 
model.  The  arching  drops  at  the  ends  of  the  plates 
too  suddenly  for  tone  power;  otherwise  it  is  a  fairly 
good  violin.  Its  sounding-board  is  really  a  superior 
selection.  After  being  again  in  playing  order,  I 


55 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

find  this  violin  to  be  worth  $75.  But,  its  worth, 
as  it  came  from  the  veneering  works,  was  less  than 
seventy-five  cents.  I  love  Music!  Sweet  Music! 
I  delight  in  doing  her  homage,  even  to  the  degree 
of  worship.  Therefore,  when  I  see  murderous 
hands  reaching  out  towards  Music,  the  lion  within 
me  arouses.  Take  this  guilty  wretch  out  on  the 
lake,  (not  so  far  as  to  reach  pure  water,)  tie  a 
weight  to  his  neck,  tie  a  life-preserver  to  his  feet, 
(otherwise  that  head  will  not  go  under, )  toss  him 
overboard,  hold  him  under  until,  by  cessation  of 
rising  bubbles,  it  becomes  certain  that  within  his 
cranium  there  is  an  increment  of  gray  matter. 


56 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 
LECTURE  IV. 

GENTLEMEN:— At  this  hour  I  present  one  of  the 
most  absorbing  questions  pertaining  to  the  violin. 
It  is  sounding-board  wood.  To  some  violin 
students  the  varnish  question  is  particularly  at- 
tractive. To  others  the  color  question  may  be  par- 
ticularly attractive.  Color  study,  by  itself,  is  a 
definite  department  of  art.  No  one  ought  to  im- 
agine himself  capable  of  mastering  violin-color 
work  in  a  brief  space  of  time.  Neither  can  mas- 
tery of  color  work  be  bought  for  any  certain  amount 
of  cash. 

[I  once  had  an  amateur  violin-making  friend  who 
enjoyed  all  the  advantages  afforded  by  wealth,  and 
who  lost  his  life  in  a  second  European  tour  search- 
ing for  violin  colors.  Poor  man!  He  vainly  im- 
agined that  money  could  buy  a  talent  which  is  eith- 
er a  gift,  or  is  a  result  of  long-time  application. 
Color-sense  is  a  thing  not  in  commercial  channels. 
He  had  not  patience  to  practica  color-work  during 
the  years  required  for  the  development  of  color- 
sense.] 

But,  notwithstanding  the  great  interest  attach- 
ing to  varnish  and  to  colors,  sounding-board  wood 
retains  paramount  interest.  It  seems  to  be  the 
universal  opinion  that  quality  of  sounding-board 
wood  largely  governs  violin  tone-value. 

Everything  in,  or  about,  sounding-board  wood  has 
been  subjected  to  hawk-eye  scrutiny.  In  such 
scrutiny,  science  has  given  but  meagre  assistance. 
To  experiment  alone,  are  we  indebted  for  a  limited 
knowledge  thereof.  Incidentally,  science  offers  a 

57 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

mite  of  corroborative  value  in  the  record  of  con- 
ductive power  for  sound-waves  in  air,  gases,  wat- 
er, metals,  and  different  varieties  of  wood.  Bot- 
any contributes  a  mite  in  the  fact  that  heart- wood 
capillaries  become  smaller  as  a  tree  advances  in 
age,  therefore  heart-wood  fibers  possess  greater 
spring-action. 

[To  be  precise,  this  statement  does  not  include 
fibers  immediately  at  the  heart,  but  fibers  near  to 
the  heart.] 

As  a  matter  of  interest  to  the  violin  student,  I 
quote  a  few  points  from  the  conductivity  table  in 
that  admirable  treatise  on  the  theory  of  sound  in 
its  relation  to  music  by  Peitro  Blaserna,  Royal  Uni- 
versity, Rome. 

[This  work  is  complete  in  detail  and  faultless  in 
diction  except  wherein  the  translator,  throughout 
the  book,  with  but  two  lonely  exceptions,  erro- 
neously uses  the  word  "note"  when  meaning 
"tone"]  Blaserna's  figures  are  given  in  the  met- 
ric system,  towit:— 

"Velocity  of  sound  in  various  bodies." 
'Air         32  Fahr.,  meters  per  second,    330." 
'Copper  68  Fahr.,  meters  per  second,  3556." 
212    "  "  3295." 

392     "  2954." 

'Acacia  wood,  along  the  fibers,  4714. ' ' 

across  the  rings,  1458. ' ' 

"      with  the  rings,  1352." 

Tine  along  the  fibers,  3322. ' ' 

across  the  rings,  1405." 

with  the  rings,  794." 

58 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

These  figures  present  some  interesting  facts  to  the 
violin  student.  Thus:  (1)  Sound-waves  along  the 
fiber  in  pine,  travel  with  more  than  ten  times  the 
velocity  traveled  in  air.  (2)  In  copper  (and  in  all 
other  metals)  as  heat  increases,  distance  traveled 
by  sound-waves  diminishes. 

[The  conductivity  of  metals,  diminishing  under 
higher  temperature,  is  here  introduced  for  the  pur- 
pose of  calling  attention  to  the  fact  that  both  high 
and  low  temperatures  greatly  modify  the  conduc- 
tive power  of  all  bodies.  Thus,  in  the  increased 
temperature  of  the  air  from  midsummer  heat, 
all  sounds,  musical  and  otherwise,  can  be  only 
propelled  to  comparatively  diminished  distances. 
The  same  phenomenon  occurs  in  the  low  tempera- 
ture of  winter.  Thus,  the  intensity,  or  carrying 
power  of  a  violin  should  not  be  determined  by  a 
test  given  in  either  extreme  of  temperature.] 

But  one  variety  of  wood  exceeds  pine  in  the  pow- 
er of  conducting  sound.  That  wood,  acacia,  or  cin- 
namon, is  not  available  for  sounding-board  uses. 
Therefore  pine  is  placed  at  the  head  of  the  list. 
But  as  there  are  several  species  of  the  genus  pine, 
we  therefore  must  choose  between  them.  It  is  un- 
fortunate that  the  particular  species  of  pine,  em- 
ployed in  making  the  record,  is  not  given.  We 
may  legitimately  suppose  that  the  sample  used 
for  the  record  was  taken  from  near  the  heart  of  a 
mature  tree,  because,  as  stated  in  botany,  capillary 
tubes  of  heart-wood  in  the  mature  tree,  diminish 
in  caliber  with  age  until  they  cease  to  carry  sap. 
Therefore  heart-wood  possesses  greater  density 

59 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

than  sap-wood.  Heart-wood  also  possesses  much 
greater  spring-action  than  sap-wood,  and  also  great- 
er weight.  But,  when  seasoned,  sap-wood  may  be 
harder  to  cut  than  heart- wood.  Mere  hardness  in 
cutting,  so  far  as  my  observation  extends,  is  a 
quality  detrimental  to  highest  tone-quality.  Upon 
examining  the  new  stump  of  a  mature  tree,  the 
recent  yearly  growths  beneath  the  bark  are  not  yet 
well  marked  into  hard  fiber  and  connective  tissue, 
but  appear  more  as  a  homogeneous  mass.  Ap- 
proaching the  heart,  the  divisions  of  grain  become 
well  defined.  Long  experience  demonstrates  be- 
yond all  doubts  that  wood  of  well  defined  grain 
yields  the  better  single  tone,  and  immeasurably 
the  better  double-stop  tone.  Experience  also  dem- 
onstrates beyond  all  doubts  that  heart-wood 
possesses  the  greater  spring-action.  Thus,  when 
forcibly  bent,  upon  release  from  force,  heart-wood 
returns  to  the  point  of  rest  with  the  greater  rapid- 
ity. The  point  of  value  in  the  Indian  bow  lies  in 
the  rapidity  with  which  it  returns  to  the  point  of 
rest.  Therefore  heart-wood  is  selected  for  such 
bows.  As  youths,  many  of  us  learned  how  unsat- 
isfactory is  the  bow  made  from  either  an  immature 
tree,  or  from  sap-wood  of  the  mature  tree.  Such 
dissatisfaction  came  from  the  slowness  in  which 
the  bow  returned  to  the  point  of  rest.  The  action 
of  such  bow  is  weak,  and  the  arrow  can  only  be 
projected  in  a  weak  manner.  In  the  sounding- 
board  of  immature  wood  I  find  precisely  similar 
weakness;  also,  weakness  of  tone  from  sounding- 
boards  of  mature  trees  not  possessing  well  defined 

60 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

grain. 

In  my  fifty  years'  work  in  re- toning  used  violins  I 
have  carefully  scrutinized  many  varieties  of  wood. 
In  doing  such  work  I  have  opened  several  hundreds 
of  violins;  and  am  now  satisfied  that  this  plan  af- 
fords more  satisfactory  evidence  bearing  upon 
tone-peculiarities  than  any  other  possible  plan.  I 
think  this  plan  unquestionably  discloses  the  reason 
why  many  skillful  workmen  fail  in  securing  a  great- 
er number  of  tone-art  masterpieces.  Barring  mod- 
el and  workmanship,  I  now  believe  that  to  quality 
of  sounding-board  wood  is  due  every  violin  master- 
piece of  tone-art.  By  the  words  "masterpiece  of 
tone-art"  I  mean  the  limit  of  tone  beauty.  Tis 
not  enough  that  the  single-stop  tone  is  beautiful. 
All  double-stop  tones  must  also  be  beautiful.  In 
this  latter  demand  is  where  the  sounding-board 
oftenest  displays  its  lack  of  highest  value.  If  you 
have  sufficient  patience  with  my  slow  ways,  you 
will  know,  in  due  course  of  time,  my  reasons  for 
ascribing  violin  tone-value  to  the  sounding-board. 
I  shall  not  claim  infallibility  for  such  reasons.  I 
only  shall  claim  such  reasons  to  be  satisfying  to 
myself. 

In  the  course  of  my  experience  with  used  violins 
I  have  seen  changes  on  the  interior  sounding-board 
surfaces  not  generally  known,  as  I  believe.  As  an 
instance,  I  have  neither  heard  of,  nor  read  about 
unequal  shrinkage  of  sounding-board  fibers  after 
the  violin  had  left  the  builder's  hands.  Yet,  I  have 
seen  cases,  in  violins  of  faultless  workmanship, 
wherein  unequal  shrinkage  of  the  sounding-board 

61 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

caused  serious  injury  to  tone.  I  call  up  a  certain 
violin  having  a  clear  record  for  150  years,  a  violin 
unquestionably  built  by  a  workman,  a  violin  where- 
in unequal  shrinkage  was  located  beneath  the  E 
string.  These  inequalities  in  thickness  ran  along 
the  fiber  in  the  form  of  ridges  and  valleys,  and 
were  due  to  shrinkage  of  certain  fibers  in  a  greater 
degree  than  in  neighboring  fibers.  There  were 
three  such  ridges  and  two  valleys,  and  their  loca- 
tion, either,  alone,  might  injure  E-string  tone.  The 
only  possible  remedy  lay  in  re-establishing  uniform 
thickness  in  that  particular  area.  I  assure  you 
that  no  further  work,  of  any  kind,  was  needed 
either  upon  the  interior  or  exterior  of  this  violin. 
The  result  of  re-establishing  uniformity  of  thick- 
ness in  this  area  was  the  removal  of  ''noise"  from 
E-string  tone.  I  am  satisfied  that  the  original 
graduation  work  upon  this  sounding-board  was 
done  with  precision. 

[Although  not  here  to  the  point,  yet  'tis  fighting 
against  my  nature  to  omit  notice  of  the  fact  that 
the  bewitching  sweetness  of  tone,  now  possessed 
by  this  old  violin,  is  something  to  keep  in  memory. 
Its  power  of  tone  is  but  slightly  diminished  by  age 
and  use.  So  exactly  precise  was  sounding-board 
thickness  guaged  for  the  guage  2  E-string  that  the 
slight  amount  of  wood  removed  from  beneath  that 
string  resulted  in  a  perceptible  diminution  of  tone- 
power  thereof.  One  example  of  unequal  shrink- 
age in  the  sounding-board,  after  leaving  the  build- 
er's hands,  may  be  sufficient  explanation  of  one 
reason  why  some  well  made  violins,  possessing 

62 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

superior  sounding-board  wood,  fail  of  becoming 
tone-art  masterpieces.  Yet,  I  will  offer  another 
example  of  shrinkage  in  sounding-board  wood  per- 
haps still  more  striking.  Thus:— From  a  certain 
plank,  in  my  possession  for  forty  years,  I  fashion- 
ed a  sounding-board.  For  reasons,  this  sounding- 
board  was  not  used  until  two  years  thereafter.  My 
surprise  was  unbounded  at  discovering  additional 
shrinkage  occurring  subsequent  to  its  graduation. 
This  fact  affords  proof  that  quantity  greatly  modi- 
fies shrinkage  of  wood  while  seasoning.  The  thin 
shaving  from  plank,  however  dry,  may  yet  further 
dry  out.  The  thin  shaving  also  swells  the  sooner 
in  the  presence  of  heat  and  moisture.  These  facts 
are  of  interest  to  the  violin  student.  Thus,  no 
matter  how  long  the  rived  block,  or  plank,  may 
have  seasoned,  we  must  yet  consider  such  block,  or 
plank,  as  new  wood  in  a  degree;  and,  when  the 
sounding-board,  from  block,  or  plank,  is  reduced 
down  to  thicknesses  considered  as  the  limit  of 
safety,  we  must  not  be  surprised  at  yet  further 
shrinkage.  Neither  must  we  be  surprised  at  the 
greater  rapidity  of  swelling  in  the  presence  of  heat 
and  moisture.  Heat  and  moisture,  as  will  be  shown 
at-  a  later  hour,  are  relentless  enemies  of  the  violin. 
They  also  combine  to  defeat  intention  of  the  violin 
builder.] 

Because  vapor  of  water  can  greatly  diminish  both 
resonance  and  brilliance  of  tone,  I  therefore  depend 
upon  a  hygrometer  to  note  the  per  cent  of  satura- 
tion existing  in  the  air  in  my  workroom,  even 
when  retoning  long  used  violins.  As  moisture  in 

63 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

wood  is  drawn  out  by  dry  air,  I  am  therefore  care- 
ful to  employ  artificial  heat  when  necessary  to  se- 
cure dryness  therein.  After  becoming  satisfied 
that  all  moisture  in  wood  is  drawn  out,  then  I  am 
ready  to  do  the  work  of  hermetical  sealing  describ- 
ed upon  a  later  occasion. 

Unequal  shrinkage  by  no  means  occurs  in  all 
sounding-boards.  How  to  pre-determine  unequal 
shrinkage  I  do  not  know.  Undoubtedly  the  builder 
of  this  violin  never  even  dreamed  that  future 
shrinkage  of  a  few  fibers  in  the  sounding-board 
would  occur  to  the  injury  of  tone.  I  consider  the 
workmanship  displayed  upon  the  interior  of  this 
violin  to  reach  the  limit  of  human  skill.  That  its 
sounding-board  is  a  good  selection,  otherwise  than 
those  few  shrunken  fibers,  we  may  know  by  the 
beautiful  tone.  The  following  point  also  contains 
something  of  interest  to  the  violin  student,  that  is, 
the  faulty  tone  in  this  violin  never  could  have  been 
improved  by  the  use  of  the  bow.  Nothwithstand- 
ing  the  age  and  workmanship  belonging  to  this 
violin,  because  of  tone  faults  from  unforseen  caus- 
es, its  value  was  inconsiderable.  Today  its  value 
is  changed.  He  who  can  buy  this  violin  now,  is  al- 
ready rich.  Wherein  lies  its  value?  'Tis  not  in 
tone-power.  Its  tone  is  neither  powerful  nor  weak. 
The  question  is  difficult  to  answer.  'Tis  not  in  age. 
There  are  violins  of  greater  age,  but  of  less  value. 
'Tis  not  in  sweetness  of  tone.  There  are  violins  of 
equally  sweet  tone,  but  of  less  value.  The  answer  de- 
fies enunciation.  Inadequately,  the  question  is  ans- 
wered by  saying,  '  'Its  tone  arouses  a  feeling  of  ten- 


64 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

derness."  Tender  feelings  make  us  part  with 
wealth.  I  know  of  no  other  logic  explaining  why  one 
will  part  with  more  wealth  for  a  certain  sweet  ton- 
ed violin  than  for  another  equally  sweet  in  tone. 
Therefore  the  price  paid  may  be  taken  as  a  meas- 
ure of  the  purchaser's  tenderness.  But,  why,  or 
how,  one  sweet  toned  violin  arouses  greater  tender- 
ness of  feeling  than  another  sweet  toned  violin,  re- 
mains to  me  an  unsolved  problem.  The  fact  exists. 
That's  all  I  know  about  it. 

Yet,  there  is  something  further  that  might  be 
said  about  it.  Thus:— When  the  tone  of  a  violin 
arouses  tender  feelings  within  the  performer,  then, 
and  there-for,  will  the  performer  give  us  his  utter- 
most musical  expression.  In  selling  such  violin, 
the  owner  adds  a  price  for  his  feelings. 

In  the  course  of  my  work  upon  used  violins,  I  made 
some  acquaintance  with  sounding-board  wood  from 
different  countries,  as  Scandinavia,  Russia, 
France,  Switzerland,  Austrian  Tyrol  and  Italy. 
Briefly,  the  most  resonant  sounding-board  wood, 
coming  under  my  observation,  grew  in  Austrian 
Tyrol;  yet,  some  samples  from  Switzerland  and 
Italy  have  proven  difficult  to  surpass  in  this  im- 
portant quality.  Undoubtedly,  heat  and  moisture 
greatly  modify  evenness  of  yearly  growth,  density 
of  fiber,  and  the  presence,  or  absence  of  fat  in  the 
genus  pine.  Because  altitude  modifies  the  amount 
of  both  heat  and  moisture,  it  follows  that  pine,  of 
widely  varying  widths  of  grain,  and  varying 
amount  of  fat,  may  be  found  in  all  mountainous  lo- 
calities where  pine  grows.  Therefore,  every  sam- 

65 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

pie  of  pine  whatever,  from  any  country  whatever, 
is  not  of  value  for  sounding-board  purposes.  For 
such  purpose,  pine  presents  five  serious  faults;  and 
the  finding  of  even  a  single  tree  without  one  of 
these  faults,  even  in  the  most  favored  localities,  is 
a  matter  of  difficulty.  Those  five  faults  are: 

(1)  Unevenness  of  grain  width. 

(2)  Crooked  grain. 

(3)  Unmarked  grain. 

(4)  Too  great  density  of  grain. 

(5)  Fat,  or  pitch. 

From  some  parts  of  Norway  comes  pine  of  per- 
fectly straight,  even  grain;  but,  while  sonorous  in 
a  marked  degree,  its  density  is  so  great  as  to  give 
a  somewhat  disagreeable,  stinging  quality  to  tone. 
Were  its  density  less,  I  believe  no  better  sounding- 
board  wood  can  be  found. 

Presuming  you  to  be  familiar  with  foreign  grown 
sounding-board  wood,  I  pass  on  to  the  considerat- 
ion of  domestic  wood.  Foreigners  pronounce  our 
wood  to  be  of  no  value  for  sounding-board  use. 
They  are  mistaken.  Colorado,  in  a  limited  way, 
offers  spruce  of  unsurpassed  value  for  sounding- 
board  purposes;  while  Michigan,  also  in  a  limited 
way,  offers  pine  vastly  superior  to  the  majority  of 
"ready-made"  European  sounding-boards  kindly 
sent  over  to  us.  The  kind  of  Michigan  pine  to 
which  I  refer,  is  peculiar  in  the  color  of  grain. 
Thus,  in  European  pine  the  different  grains  are  se- 
parated by  dark  lines;  but,  the  grains  of  this  Mich- 
igan pine  are  separated  by  white  lines.  Another 
peculiarity  in  this  Michigan  pine  is  the  fact  that  its 


66 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

white  line  is  the  softest  part  of  the  grain.  There 
is  another  peculiarity  yet  more  striking.  It  pos- 
sesses, as  transverse  markings,  numerous  scales  of 
silvery  brightness;  and,  as  I  know  by  observation, 
these  transverse  markings  retain  their  brightness 
more  than  half  a  century.  Except  in  mere  power 
of  tone,  this  quality  of  domestic  pine,  for  sounding- 
board  use,  is  unsurpassed  by  any  pine  whatsoever. 
The  tone  from  this  wood,  for  studio,  parlor,  or  the 
smaller  audience  rooms,  cannot  be  excelled  so  far 
as  my  observation  extends.  Even  in  new  violins, 
double-stop  tones  from  this  wood  possess  exceeding 
attraction.  Its  value  is  only  lacking  in  great  pow- 
er. Upon  this  wood,  varnish  must  be  applied 
sparingly.  It  has  no  coarseness  of  tone  to  be 
smothered.  For  the  bar  and  sound-post,  I  have 
used  no  other  wood  in  many  years.  As  the 
bar,  from  no  other  wood  can  I  obtain  equal  beauty 
for  G-string  tone. 

My  experience  with  white  cedar  for  sounding- 
board  uses  is  quite  limited,  having  given  it  but 
two  trials.  For  these  trials  I  used  cedar  which  had 
seasoned  out  of  doors  during  more  than  thirty  years 
under  my  own  observation.  One  marked  peculiar- 
ity of  this  wood  is  its  power  to  resist  disintegration 
from  heat  and  moisture.  Even  after  standing  un- 
covered for  so  many  years,  its  surface  only  show- 
ed but  slight  traces  of  decay,  while  beneath,  the 
color  was  exceedingly  bright.  The  presence  of 
deep  cracks  interfered  much  in  the  work  of  secur- 
ing samples  for  sounding-board  purposes.  Indeed, 
only  by  joining  four  pieces  could  I  get  a  perfectly 

• 

67 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

sound,  straight  grained  sample.  The  rapidity  with 
which  this  wood  grows  produces  great  width  of 
grain.  In  my  opinion  its  width  of  grain,  as  a  rule, 
is  too  great  for  high  value  for  the  sounding-board. 
As  a  mere  supposition,  its  width  of  grain  might  not 
be  objectionable  for  the  bass  sounding-board.  The 
tone  of  this  wood,  from  my  two  experiments,  was 
peculiar.  Volume  of  sound  was  very  marked,  but 
intensity  was  very  feeble.  Thus,  at  near-by  dis- 
tances, the  sound  was  great;  to  long  distances  its 
sound  could  not  be  forced. 

Intensity  of  sound  is  something  defying  explana- 
tion. We  know  that  sound  may  possess  marked 
volume  while  only  able  to  propel  itself  to  short  dis- 
tances; and  again,  sound  may  possess  diminished 
volume  while  able  to  propel  itself  to  greater  dis- 
tances. Undoubtedly  the  cause  for  this  phenome- 
on  lies  in  peculiarity  of  the  sound-producing  agent. 
The  human  voice  affords  abundant  examples  of  the 
differences  between  volume  and  intensity  of  sound. 
Some  voices  can  be  easily  propelled  to  distances 
impossible  to  other  voices;  and,  the  voices  traveling 
the  greater  distance,  may  not  sound  more  than  half 
so  loud  as  voices  at  near-by  points.  The  same  phe- 
nomenon is  presented  by  the  sounding-board.  The 
quality  of  intensity  cannot  be  pre-determined  in  any 
sound-producing  agent.  Marked  intensity  of  tone 
is  a  valuable  asset  of  the  violin.  It  is  an  asset 
largely  governing  prices.  As  a  mere  business  prop- 
osition to  the  soloist,  the  value  of  the  violin  should 
be  based  upon  the  square  of  the  distance  to  which 
its  tone  can  give  pleasure  to  the  listener.  Thus: 


68 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

The  tone  of  violin  A  gives  satisfaction  to  the  listen- 
ing ear  at  400  feet.  Employing  100  as  a  unit,  the 
square  of  4  units  equals  16.  The  tone  of  violin  B 
gives  satisfaction  at  800  feet;  and  the  square  of  8 
units,  equaling  64,  therefore  the  actual,  practical 
value  of  these  two  violins  is  as  16  to  64.]  The  tone 
from  these  white  cedar  sounding-boards  was  of  a  dis- 
agreeable, coarse  quality.  Strangely,  a  few  violin 
users  pronounced  such  coarse  tone  to  be  quite  sat- 
isfying. Heavy  coating  with  varnish  was  required 
to  subdue  coarseness  of  tone;  but,  in  thus  removing 
coarseness,  loss  of  tone-power  followed  in  a  mark- 
ed degree.  There  was  yet  one  peculiar  feature  in 
the  tone  from  these  sounding-boards.  Thus: 
Powerful  bow-pressure  produced  no  greater  tone 
than  moderate  bow-pressure.  For  these  reasons 
I  do  not  consider  white  cedar  the  equal  in  tone- 
value  with  the  Michigan  pine  herein  described. 

That  the  violin  sounding-board  is  responsible  for 
violin  tone-value  is  a  question  no  longer  in  dispute. 
Therefore,  to  the  violin  student,  wood  for  sounding- 
board  purpose  becomes  a  matter  of  chief  import- 
ance. Seemingly,  a  life-time  given  to  re-toning 
used  violins  might  enable  one  to  pre-determine 
with  accurracy  the  tone-quality  of  many  grades  of 
pine  and  spruce.  Although  such  experience  af- 
fords grounds  for  close  guesswork,  yet  I  assure  you 
of  my  disbelief  in  the  possibility  of  precise  pre-de- 
termination  of  the  tone-qualities  of  any  given 
sample  of  sounding-board  wood.  In  my  experi- 
ence, the  surprises  awaiting  test  by  the  bow  have 
been  infinite.  I  will  describe  a  grade  of  pine  pos- 


69 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

sessing  the  nearest  approximation  to  uniformity  of 
tone-quality.  But,  it  is  necessary  to  bear  in  mind 
the  fact  that  my  description  is  based  upon  physical 
qualities  and  appearances  of  pine  long  seasoned  after 
being  fashioned  into  sounding-board  form.  This 
necessity  arises  from  the  fact  that  rapidity  in  color- 
changes  is  greatly  modified  by  quantity  of  wood. 
Thus,  original  brightness  of  color  is  longer  retained 
in  the  log  than  in  the  rived  block;  also  longer  re- 
tained in  the  block  than  in  the  sounding-board. 
Therefore  color  cannot  be  dependable  evidence  in 
determining  the  time  elapsed  since  any  given  sam- 
ple of  wood  was  cut  from  the  stump.  And  further, 
different  samples  of  sounding  board  pine  take  on 
widely  differing  depths  of  color  with  advancing 
age.  I  have  one  sounding  board,  of  respectable 
age,  showing  but  a  mere  shadow  of  color-change 
beneath  the  surface.  In  others  the  color-change 
is  marked,  having  passed  to  brown-red  through  and 
through.  The  cause  for  color-changes  coming  on 
during  the  time  of  seasoning  is  a  mystery  baffling 
explanation.  But,  by  long  observation,  I  know  that 
different  tone-qualities  follow  different  depths  of 
coloring  in  the  sounding-board.  Thus,  from  the 
sounding-board  longest  retaining  original  bright- 
ness, the  tone  is  of  a  certain  stinging  quality  de- 
manding the  utmost  of  careful  bowing;  whereas, 
the  tone,  from  the  brown-red,  is  quite  agreeable 
whatever  the  bowing.  The  greatest  difference  is 
shown  in  double-stop  tones.  From  the  bright  wood, 
the  most  beautiful  effect  from  double-stop  tones 
are  impossible,  while  from  the  brown-red  wood, 


70 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

double-stop  tones  possess  the  highest  degree  of 
agreeableness.  Than  beautiful  double-stop  tones, 
nothing  from  the  violin  gives  greater  pleasure  to 
the  listener.  From  the  violin-soloist,  double-stop 
tones  are  imperatively  demanded.  Therefore  in 
selecting  a  violin  for  solo  use,  this  knowledge  be- 
comes valuable.  Because  the  brown-red  sounding- 
board  easily  is  split,  we  may  suppose  that  the  con- 
nective tissue  between  the  denser  fibers,  is  of  feeble 
power.  We  may  also  suppose  that  the  absence  of 
power  in  connective  tissue  permits  greater 
independence  of  fiber  action,  and  that  to  independ- 
ent fiber  action,  agreeable  double-stop  tones  are 
due.  The  bright  wood  is  not  easily  split.  Its  con- 
nective tissue  is  much  the  stronger.  Hence  its 
fibers,  or  denser  part  of  grain,  has  less  independ- 
ence of  action. 

As  an  assistance  in  accounting  for  the  brown-red 
color  in  pine,  long  seasoned,  I  offer  the  following: 
Back  in  the  fifties  of  the  last  century,  a  certain 
barn  and  shed,  several  hundred  feet  in  length,  were 
enclosed  with  Michigan  pine.  In  those  by-gone 
days  only  large  trees  in  pine  forests  were  felled  for 
lumber.  Then  the  old  fashioned  "sash"  saw  was 
in  the  heights  of  its  glory.  Those  large  logs  were 
cut  "through  and  through, "  and  each  board,  or 
plank,  was  "edged"  with  a  smaller  saw.  Thus  the 
lumber  was  of  various  widths,  and,  without  assort- 
ing, as  in  the  present  day,  was  sold  to  the  consum- 
er. Much  of  the  lumber  covering  this  particular 
barn  would  be  graded  today  as  "first  clear. "  Many 
of  the  boards  were  30  inches  in  width.  "Dressed" 


71 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

lumber  was  then  unknown.  So  was  paint al- 
most. The  covering  of  this  barn  was  neither 
"dressed"  nor  ever  painted.  Forty-five  years 
later  I  examined  these  unprotected  boards.  A 
majority  of  the  wider  boards  were  split  at  the  cen- 
ter. I  could  easily  determine  every  board  coming 
from  the  center  of  the  log  by  the  evidence  of  disin- 
tegration. Thus:  Upon  the  surface  of  all  those 
'  'center  cut' '  boards,  the  soft  connective  fiber  has 
decayed,  turned  to  dust,  and  decayed  to  varying 
depths  on  different  boards,  or  rather  on  boards 
from  different  logs.  The  denser  part  of  the  grain 
remained  as  ridges. 

[Some  old,  worn  violins  present  similar  ridges  at 
the  ends  of  sounding-board;  and  some  do  not. 
The  difference  is  plainly  attributable  to  varying 
degrees  of  toughness  of  connective  tissue.  In  my 
observation,  those  old  sounding-boards,  showing 
greater  loss  of  connective  tissue,  invariably  pos- 
sessed greater  double-stop  tone- value,  and  greater 
mellowness  of  tone  generally.  Also,  such  sounding- 
boards  are  more  easily  split.] 

On  all  those  weather-worn  boards  coming  from 
that  part  of  the  log  near  the  bark,  the  ridges  of 
denser  fiber  are  much  less  prominent.  Indeed, 
some  of  these  boards  show  no  ridges  whatever. 
One  striking1  peculiarity  of  these  ridges  is  in  their 
line.  This  line,  on  the  great  majority  of  those  old 
boards,  follows  a  zigzag  course.  Only  upon  a  very 
few  of  them  is  the  ridge-line  straight.  I  am  now 
come  to  the  color  question.  As  I  dress  the  weather 
surface  of  all  "center-cut"  boards,  there  appears  a 
great  variety  of  colors.  But,  only  upon  the  widest 


72 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

boards,  do  I  find  the  brown-red.  Unquestionably 
those  30-inch  boards  came  from  the  mature  trees. 
I  now  return  to  those  boards  showing  straight 
ridge-lines.  Their  color  runs  from  pale  to  butter 
color,  and  their  general  color-effect  is  bright.  In  a 
very  few  of  them  I  find  silvery  bright,  transverse 
markings,  or  scales. 

The  evidence  afforded  by  these  old  boards  points 
towards  age  in  the  standing  tree  as  the  source  of 
brown-red  color  developed  by  seasoning.  In  wood- 
craft there  is  much  of  value  to  the  violin  student. 
Therein  may  we  learn  that  the  connective  tissue  in 
young,  or  immature  trees,  is  very  much  tougher 
than  in  the  mature  tree;  also,  that  immature  wood, 
while  permitting  greater  degrees  of  bending,  yet, 
when  released,  remains  partially  bent;  whereas, 
mature  wood,  permitting  less  bending,  but,  when 
released,  quickly  returns  to  its  original  point  of 
rest.  This  feature  of  quickly  returning  to  the 
point  of  rest  is  of  great  importance  to  tone-pro- 
ducing agents.  Experience  clearly  demonstrates 
the  fact  that  immature  wood,  for  sounding-board 
use,  is  inferior  to  mature  wood.  In  my  violin  re- 
toning  experience  I  have  found  sounding-boards 
made  of  two  samples  of  wood  taken  from  trees  of 
widely  varying  age.  Such  sounding-boards  have  in- 
variably given  proof  that  mature  wood  possesses 
the  greater  tone-value.  Thus,  in  such  sounding- 
boards,  when  the  left  half  is  of  mature  wood,  while 
the  right  half  is  of  immature  wood,  the  G  and  D 
strings  will  yield  good  musical  tone,  while  A  and  E 
strings  will  yield  but  a  "dead,"  or  lifeless  tone; 


73 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

and  vice  versa,  the  G  and  D  tone  will  be  lifeless. 

I  am  how  come  to  a  fact  concerning  violin  sound- 
board action  which  seems  to  have  not  attracted 
much  attention. 

I  allude  to  independent  action  of  contiguous  fib- 
ers. 

From  my  point  of  view,  other  facts  being  correct, 
independent  action  of  contiguous  fibers,  in  the 
sound -producing  area  of  the  sounding-board, 
makes  violin  tone- value.  This  view  is  based  upon 
observation  of  the  fact  that  agreeable  quality,  can- 
not be  produced  from  wood  having  rigid  connect- 
ive tissue.  The  latter  fact  I  have  observed  in 
many  cases.  The  following  considerations  explain 
necessity  for  independent  fiber  action  in  the  sound- 
ing board:  The  open  tone  A  requires  for  its  pro- 
duction that  certain  fibers  of  the  sounding-board 
strike  450  blows  per  second  upon  contained  air; 
open  tone  E  requires  675  such  blows.  For  the  sim- 
ultaneous production  of  A  and  E  tones,  contiguous 
sounding-board  fibers  evidently  must  vibrate  at 
different  rates  per  second.  The  difference  for 
these  tones  is  the  difference  between  450  and  675. 
Therefore,  those  fibers  producing  E,  move  225  more 
times  per  second  than  the  fibers  producing  A. 
That  the  fibers  producing  the  tones  A  and  E  are 
contiguous  will  be  shown  upon  a  later  occasion.  In 
this  case  the  evidence  seems  conclusive.  Again  I 
call  your  attention  to  pine  possessing  the  brown- 
red  color  as  being  a  grade  offering  the  minimum  of 
connective  tissue  rigidity.  As  further  evidence 
bearing  upon  the  question  of  independent  action  of 


74 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

contiguous  fibers,  I  present  this  violin  which  has 
been  in  use  40  years  within  my  own  knowledge. 
Two  times  have  I  opened  this  violin  in  the  effort  to 
make  its  double-stop  tones  agreeable.  By  apply- 
ing a  bow,  you  instantly  perceive  that  my  efforts 
are  failures.  I  pronounce  agreeable  double-stop 
tones  from  this  sounding-board  to  be  an  impossi- 
bility; and  the  reason  for  such  impossibility  is  due 
to  inherent  rigidity  of  connective  tissue.  This  vio- 
lin has  something  of  a  history;  and,  because  the 
history  of  some  violins  is  the  only  asset  of  value 
they  possess,  I  present  the  history  of  this  one  as 
evidence.  Upon  first  opening  it,  I  found  beneath 
an  accumulation  of  dirt  a  legendary  label  bearing 
the  following: 

Andreas  Guamerius 
Sub  titulo  Santa  Thtresia  1645. 
In  appearance,  this  label  is  the  embodiment  of  inno- 
cence; and,  in  outline  and  profile,  this  violin  is  a 
fac  sjmile  of  the  Andreas.     In  my  earlier  observa- 
tions of  the  violin,  this  one  is  remembered  as  giving 

swelling  pride  to  Prof. .     Many  times  I  had 

gazed  upon  it  in  open-mouthed  awe.  Wanted  to 
own  it?  Why,  yes!  But,  I  didn't  have  the  wealth 
of  Croesus.  Another  young  fellow  was  more  for- 
tunate. Fortune  smiled  upon  this  particular  young 

fellow.     Prof.  found  necessity  for  moving  to 

other  parts.  But,  before  he  could  make  such 
move,  his  unreasonable  landlady  exacted  pay  for 
his  board.  Under  such  distressing  circumstances 
the  Prof,  regretfully  "came  down"  in  his  price, 
and  that  young  Croesus  became  the  proud  owner 

75 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

of  an  Andreas  Guarnerius.  Time  not  only  rolls 
around  swiftly,  but  also  brings  swift  changes. 
This  young  man,  becoming  obliged  to  earn  a  living, 
laid  his  Andreas  away  in  the  garret  together  with 
his  other  violin  of  common  value.  Mice  always 
prefer  to  live  in  the  garret.  'Tis  the  warmest 
apartment  in  the  house.  Hitherto  mice  were  not 
considered  as  violin  "experts."  But  now,  proof  of 
their  expert  judgment  of  violins  is  established 
by  the  fact  that  they  gnawed  their  way  into  the 
Guarnerius.  Hence  this  violin  came  to  me  for  re- 
pairs. 

[Although  not  an  old  violin  expert  by  any  means, 
yet,  concerning  the  modern  violin,  in  the  40  years 
since  I  first  saw  this  one,  I  have  learned  something. 
Therefore  I  am  not  surprised  to  read  upon  the  in- 
ner surface  of  this  sounding-board,   and  written 
with  pencil  upon  the  wood,  the  following  words: 
Johann  Winkerline,  Mittenwald 
Den  ersten  Oktober,  1853. 

[The  suggestion  of  Mittenwald  makes  it  quite 
certain  that  Andreas  died  some  time  before  making 
this  violin.] 

I  reduced  thickness  of  sounding-board  to  what 
I  consider  the  limit  of  safety,  but  only  succeeded 
in  removal  of  a  slight  amount  of  its  woody  tone. 
After  a  period  of  use  I  again  opened  this  instru- 
ment of  torture,  and  gave  the  sounding-board  an 
hour  of  massage.. 

[As  you  know,  massage  is  quite  often  applied  to- 
day to  human  sounding-boards  for  a  fee.  When 
such  fee  is  large  there  is  but  little  difference  in  the 


7G 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

tone  of  these  two  varieties.] 

This  treatment  did  just  perceptibly  diminish  dis- 
agreeableness  of  double-stop  tones,  yet,  in  a  small, 
bare  room  they  remain  suggestive  of  self-destruc- 
tion. 

I  think  my  experience  warrants  me  in  positively 
stating  that,  in  violins  having  sounding-boards  of 
a  rigidity  and  density  equaling  this  sample,  despair 
and  death  precede  tone-improvement. 

''Doctor,  do  you  mean  to  state  that  violins  do 
not  always  improve  with  age  and  use?" 

I  mean  to  state  that  one  long  life-time  is  not  suf- 
ficient to  witness  tone-improvement  in  some  violins. 

"How  then  may  we  select  new  violins  certain  of 
tone  improvement?" 

By  ability  to  correctly  judge  sounding-board 
wood,  and  to  judge  the  graduation  thereof  by  the 
tone  therefrom. 

"But,  Doctor,  all  this  requires  experience?" 

Certainly,  sir.  But  in  lack  of  experience  it  is 
quite  safe  to  trust  the  experience  of  some  skillful, 
ambitious,  conscientious,  tone-knowing,  violin- 
playing,  violin-loving,  violin-maker.  You  have  my 
assurance  that  such  violin  makers  are  not  yet 
all  in  heaven. 


77 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 
LECTURE  V. 

GENTLEMEN:— The  effect  of  age  upon  violin  tone 
is  a  subject  filled  to  the  brim  with  interest.  Among 
all  musical  devices,  in  the  matter  of  tone-improve- 
ment by  age  and  use,  the  violin  pre-eminently 
stands  alone.  Strangely,  tone  improvement  in  the 
violin  follows  loss  of  value  in  wood  in  its  use  for 
other  purposes.  Because  of  such  steady  diminution 
in  value  of  wood,  unlimited  tone-improvement  for 
the  violin  becomes  an  impossibility.  The  fact  of 
loss  in  wood-value  affords  a  pathetic  side  to  violin 
history.  The  best  violins  have  been  first  in  suc- 
cumbing to  those  insatiable  enemies,  heat  and 
moisture.  The  inexorable  law  of  disintegration 
has  stayed  not  in  its  hand  for  best  of  the  Maggini, 
nor  best  of  the  Amati,  nor  best  of  the  Guarneri,  nor 
best  of  the  Stradivari.  The  better  tone-producing 
sounding-board  sooner  yields  to  attacks  of  its  en- 
emies. Soon  will  the  best  old  violins  only  be  known 
in  memory. 

The  many  hours  of  pleasure  contributed  to  hu- 
manity by  those  worn-out  violins  is  something  be- 
yond expression  in  figures.  'Tis  well  for  humanity 
that  the  amount  of  such  pleasure  cannot  be  com- 
pressed into  one  hour.  Such  compressed  sweetness 
could  depopulate  the  world.  'Tis  a  peculiarity  of 
humanity  to  love  most  that  which  gives  the  most 
pleasure.  Of  all  inanimate  things  contributing  to 
the  sum  of  human  pleasure,  the  violin  stands  at  the 
head  of  the  list  and  without  a  rival.  From  with- 
in the  "dugout"  on  Western  ranch  to  beneath  the 
gilded  domes  of  Czar,  the  violin  carries  sunshine. 

78 


•     VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

Deep  down  in  recesses  of  human  affection  the  vio- 
lin finds  ample  room.  Must  this  priceless  thing 
remain  a  sacrifice  to  the  law  of  disintegration? 
Ought  not  humanity  bestir  itself  to  find  a  safe  de* 
fense  for  the  violin  against  this  law? 

In  the  light  of  my  experience  in  searching  for 
means  of  such  defense,  I  say;  "  Tis  but  folly  to  sit 
down  and  cry  while  doing  nothing  to  save  the  vio- 
lin." In  the  light  of  my  experience,  I  say  to 
every  man  who,  without  experience  condemns  all 
efforts  to  preserve  interior  violin  surfaces  from  in- 
evitable "ravages  of  disintegration,"  "You  are 
doing  an  act  of  criminal  violence  to  Music."  To 
such  as  have  made  efforts  to  thus  preserve  the  vio- 
lin, and  who  have  abandoned  such  efforts  because 
of  injury  to  tone,  I  say,  "Persevere."  Do 
as  much  in  such  efforts  as  I  have  done  in 
ten  years.  Then,  if  you  are  yet  dissatisfied 
with  results,  possibly  my  method  of  preserving 
those  interior  surfaces  from  disintegration  may  be 
of  interest  to  you.  If  called  upon,  I  now  consider 
myself  amply  provided  with  proof  that  interior  vio- 
lin surfaces  may  be  indefinitely  protected  from  dis- 
integration, and  without  injury  to  tone.  Should 
my  caller  be  not  prejudiced  too  much,  I  hope  to 
convince  him  that  the  tone  of  such  protected  vio- 
lins remains  equally  sweet,  while  the  tone  qualities 
of  brilliance  and  intensity  are  greatly  augmented. 

There  was  once  a  man  whose  genius  as  an  imit- 
ator of  the  Strad  violin,  not  only  filled  the  violin 
world  with  amazement,  but  also,  filled  this  man's 
pockets.  This  man,  J.  B.  Vuillaume,  impostercon- 

79 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

fessed,  said  that  interior  violin  surfaces  cannot  be 
protected  without  injury  to  tone.  Because  this 
man  was  an  imposter,  therefore  when  he  said, 
"No,"  possibly  he  meant,  "Yes." 

[Strange  how  an  imposter's  ''No,"  to  this  day, 
influences  the  violin  world.  As  I  view  this  mat- 
ter, 'tis  but  a  display  of  inanity  when  I  act  upon 
proffered  advice  from  a  known  swindler.  As  I 
think,  the  statements  of  men,  even  under  oath, 
who  have  no  other  object  in  life  than  money, 
should  be  taken  with  the  proverbial  grain  of  salt. 
Indeed,  there  are  cases  wherein  a  pound  is  better. 
In  the  latter  class  of  cases  am  I  inclined  to  place  J. 
B.  Vuillaume.] 

As  a  member  of  the  staff  at  a  violin  sanitarium, 
it  came  in  my  way  to  see  somewhat  of  the  pathetic 
side  afforded  by  violin  interior  surface  disintegrat- 
ion. Truthfully,  the  sight  of  such  destruction  of 
violin  value  became  the  stimulating  agent  for  my 
later  effort  to  find  a  safe  means  and  a  meth- 
od for  its  prevention.  Often  have  I  witnessed 
total  ruin  of  tone-value  for  no  other  reason 
than  that  of  leaving  interior  surfaces  of  the  violin 
unprotected  from  disintegration  by  the  action  of 
heat  and  moisture.  The  question,  '  'Can  such  dis- 
integration be  prevented  without  injury  to  tone," 
stood  in  large  type  before  my  eyes  until  I  acted 
against  a  universal  conclusion.  Now,  I  am  surpris- 
ed that  injury  to  tone,  from  protection  of  violin 
interior  surfaces,  is  but  an  imaginary  bugbear.  I 
do  not  state  that  tone  cannot  be  injured  by  the  in- 
terior protection.  On  the  contrary,  I  well  know 

80 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

that  interior-surface  protection  can  be  the  cause  of 
tone-value  ruin.  I  know  full  well  that  crude 
means,  and  crude  methods  of  applying  means  to 
interior  violin  surfaces  can  injure  tone  when  ap- 
plied upon  exterior  surfaces;  but,  not  more;  and, 
not  less.  But,  in  accounting  for  tone-injury,  the 
following  fact  must  not  be  overlooked.  Thus: 
What  ever  injures  tone  when  applied  upon  a  single 
sounding-board  surface,  multiplies  such  injury  by 
the  factor  2  when  applied  to  both  surfaces.  The 
point  is,  neither  means,  nor  method  of  applying 
means  for  protection  of  either  surface,  resulting  in 
injury  to  tone,  should  be  used  upon  the  violin.  As 
musicians  of  experience,  you  well  know  that  'tis 
not  what  you  play,  so  much  as  how  you  play,  that 
wins  the  "encore." 

Had  I  sat  down  and  cried  quits  after  the  first 
few  attempts  to  apply  protection  to  those  interior 
surfaces,  I  yet  might  be  contemplating  this  bug- 
bear from  the  usual  distance.  Had  I  then  aband- 
oned such  effort,  I  never  would  have  received  those 
marks  of  approval  from  the  60  owners  of  violins 
thus  protected.  Had  the  tone  of  violins  thus  treat- 
ed, been  injured  by  such  treatment/then,  approval 
from  such  owners  would  have  been  withheld.  In 
every  case  my  fee  was  subject  to  approval.  In  no 
case  have  I  lost  my  fee.  I  only  mention  these  lat- 
ter facts  as  proofs  that  violin  tone  is  not  injured 
by  protection  of  interior  sufaces. 

[Perhaps  'tis  proper  to  state  that  I  worked  upon 
violins  for  more  than  forty  years  with  no  intent,  or 
expectation  whatever  of  turning-  such  work  to  bus- 
Si 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

iness  account.  I  only  charged  a  fee  when  violins 
came  to  me  in  such  numbers  as  to  demand  much  of 
my  time.] 

It  is  my  belief  that  to  apply  protection  to  either 
exterior,  or  interior  surfaces  of  violin  plates,  with- 
out injury  to  tone,  demands  both  experience  and 
judgement  only  obtained  by  experience. 

"Doctor,  how  long  will  your  protected  violins 
last?"  I  cannot  answer  that  question  further  than 
to  say  I  know  of  no  reason  why  the  material  em- 
ployed by  me  as  interior-surface  protection  will  not 
last  equally  with  exterior  surface-protection.  For 
such  interior  surface  protection,  I  employ  gum 
copal  as  a  basis,  but,  the  hardness  of  copal  is  tem- 
pered down  with  much  softer,  tougher,  and  more 
elastic  gums  as  mastic,  elemi,  sandarac,  etc. 

[Details  of  this  work  will  be  given  later.] 

Again  I  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that 
sounding-board  wood,  yielding  the  best  tone-quali- 
ty, is  first  to  be  ruined  by  disintegration  from  heat 
and  moisture.  I  know  how  much  of  variety  exists 
in  the  matter  of  violin-taste.  I  well  remember  my 
own  different  taste  at  different  periods  in  my  exper- 
ience. At  the  earlier  periods,  I  demanded  noth- 
ing so  much  as  great  power  in  violin  tone.  Quali- 
ty, in  either  single-stop  tones,  or  double-stop  tones, 
I  willingly  sacrificed  to  mere  power  of  tone.  As  I 
now  look  backwards  upon  my  earlier  attempts  at 
making  earth  to  tremble  by  my  great  tone,  I  am 
staggered  at  the  mountain  of  infliction  enthusiasti- 
cally poured  into  the  suffering  ear  of  near  friends. 
The  word  "near"  only  refers  to  proximity,  and  by 

82 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

no  means  refers  to  '  'loving"  friends.  Today,  when 
speaking  of  the  sounding-board  yielding  best  tone, 
I  mean  the  greatest  tone-beauty,  or,  the  most 
agreeable  tone,  or,  the  sweetest  tone;  and  I  espec- 
ially mean  great  beauty  of  double-stop  tones. 

As  a  sample  of  the  destruction  wrought  upon  the 
better  grade  of  sounding-board  wood  by  heat  and 
moisture,  I  present  this  old  violin.  The  maker  of 
this  violin  is  not  known.  Its  worn  appearance  is 
such  as  to  make  needless  any  certificate  of  age. 
The  peg  holes  are  worn  beyond  the  size  of  any  vio- 
lin peg!  The  "hand"  is  deeply  worn  by  shifting 
thumb  and  finger.  On  surfaces  touched  by  chin 
and  shoulder,  the  varnish  has  disappeared.  At 
both  upper  and  lower  extremities  of  the  sounding- 
board  the  soft  cellular  connective  tissue,  between 
denser  part  of  grain,  is  worn  away,  leaving  the 
denser  part  standing  as  ridges.  Because  of  its 
great  influence  upon  double-stop  tones,  I  call  espec- 
ial attention  to  the  soft  nature  of  connective  tissue 
in  this  sample  of  sounding-board  wood.  By 
reason  of  long  experience,  I  feel  safe  in  stating 
that  double-stop  tones  from  this  violin  possessed 
marked  beauty. 

[I  employ  the  past  tense  because  this  violin  is 
not  in  playing  order.] 

The  only  statement  in  text-books  of  philosophy, 
in  which  I  have  found  something  of  value  to  the 
selection  of  violin  sounding-board  wood,  is  contain- 
ed in  the  following  sentence:  "The  sounding- 
board  may  be  compared  to  a  bundle  of  strings." 
I  consider  this  statement  to  be  of  value.  Evident- 

83 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ly,  the  word  "strings"  in  the  text-books  refers  to 
the  denser  part  of  grain.  To  be  of  value  for 
sounding-board  use;  the  "strings"  must  be  held 
together  by  a  connecting  medium.  Evidently,  the 
character  of  such  connecting  medium  modifies  ac- 
tion of  those  strings.  Thus:  Freedom  in  action  of 
those  "strings"  is  as  rigidity  of  connective  tissue. 
As  previously  shown  by  example,  the  rigid  violin 
sounding-board  cannot  be  made  to  yield  agreeable 
double-stop  tones,  because  rigidity  in  connective 
tissue  interferes  with  independent  action  of  con- 
tiguous fibers;  ("strings,"  of  the  text  books.)  In 
this  old  sounding-bcaid,  connective  tissue  is  soft. 

The  owner  of  this  much  worn  violin  is  Mr.  Aug- 
ust Wolfe,  Music  Director,  Valparaiso  College,  Val- 
paraiso, Indiana.  Prof.  Wolfe  brought  this  old 
violin  from  his  Austrian  home.  When  a  small 
boy,  this  worn  old  instrument  came  to  him  as  a 
present  from  his  father,  and  was  accompanied  by 
the  usual  fallacious  remark,  "It'll  do  to  begin  on." 
[Considering  the  present  condition  of  this  violin,  I 
believe  that  none  other  than  a  German-speaking 
boy  could  have  survived  to  become  a  master 
violinist.] 

In  size,  this  violin  is  known  as  i.  I  ask  you  to 
observe  the  extremely  delicate  beauty  of  this  old 
neck  and  head.  Even  Hebe's  own  is  not  more 
beautiful.  This  slender  hand,  these  thin  peg-box 
walls,  those  exquisite  lines  of  fluting  and  scroll, 
powerfully  appeal  to  our  sense  of  the  beautiful. 
Because  the  peg-holes  are  worn  out,  and  a  fracture 
extends  down  through  the  A  peg-hole,  and  a  piece 

84 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

is  gone  from  edge  of  fluting,  the  Prof,  suggests  re- 
placing this  worn  old  neck  with  a  new  one.  I  have 
heretofore  done  surgical  work  calling  for  nerve, 
but,  at  severing  this  beautiful  head  from  its  body, 
I  halt.  "Pis  a  case  of  "heart  failure."  I  can  eas- 
ily give  days  to  the  work  of  restoring  the  broken 
lines  on  this  Hebe-like  neck  and  head  that  those 
lines  of  beauty  may  remain  to  delight  the  eye  of 
connoisseur. 

I  am  now  to  present  something  unusual.  I  call 
attention  to  the  varnish  on  this  old  violin.  This 
varnish  is  soft;  rather  too  soft  to  agree  with  modern 
ideas;  also,  the  amount  of  varnish  originally  applied, 
judging  from  the  amount  now  found  in  the  hollows, 
was  much  greater  than  is  employed  today.  It  is  so 
soft  that  with  but  moderate  pressure,  my  finger  palp 
causes  perceptible  indent  therein.  As  friction  pro- 
duces the  familiar  odor  of  mastic,  therefore  I  sup- 
pose this  soft  gum  to  be  in  excess.  In  this  varnish, 
I  am  less  interested  in  the  gums  than  in  the  color- 
ing matter  employed.  As  you  observe,  the  prevail- 
ing colors  are  red  and  black,  and  mixed,  in  quanti- 
ty of  each,  to  produce  a  deep  red-brown,  or  brown- 
red  shade. 

But,  such  dirty  brown-red!  No  self-respecting 
modern  violin  maker  would  permit  such  dirty, 
muddy-looking  color-work  to  appear  out  of  his  pile 
of  waste- wood. 

"Doctor,  isn't  this  a  rare  old  violin?" 

S-u-r-e! 

[I  gave  notice  of  presenting  something  unusual.] 

I  am  now  to  present  something  yet  more  strik- 

85 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ing-;  more  shocking;  and  more  pathetic.  I  am  to 
present  an  example  of  disintegration  of  sounding- 
board  wood  such  as  will  burn  into  your  memory;  an 
example  of  slow  conbustion  of  wood  in  the  presence 
of  heat  and  moisture;  an  example  showing  the 
down-hill  route  traveled  by  those  priceless  old  gems 
of  tone-art  now  stranded  along  the  violin's  last 
hundred-year  path.  This  irreparable  loss,  and  this 
pathetic  scene,  might  easily  and  with  certainty 
have  been  averted,  I  fully  believe.  With  a  thin 
spatula  I  easily  remove  this  old  sounding-board. 

Shade  of  Dante! 

[As  an  application  in  Hades,  we  may  well  fear 
that  slow  combustion  heads  the  list.  The  truth  in 
that  old  saw,  "The  devil's  in  the  fiddle,"  now  re- 
ceives confirmation.  But,  strangely,  and  unexpect- 
edly, this  confirmatory  evidence  points  to  the  fact 
he  "is  in  the  fiddle"  for  the  purpose  of  destroying- 
the  fiddle  instead  of  destroying  human  beings.  It 
is  claimed  that  recent  archaelogical  discoveries 
bring  to  light  proof  of  some  error  in  Scriptural 
reading's.  The  evidence  afforded  by  this  example  of 
slow  combustion,  when  supplemented  by  other 
examples  of  like  nature,  may  be  sufficient  to  change 
orthodox  reading's  thus:  "The  devil  is  an  enemy 
of  the  violin."] 

"Punk"  may  be  described  as  a  product  of  wood 
by  slow  combustion  in  the  presence  of  heat  and 
moisture.  Upon  the  inner  surface  of  the  sounding- 
board  we  have  an  example  of  "punk."  It  falls  as 
dust  mixed  with  thin  threads  of  wood-fiber  as  I 
touch  it  with  scraper.  This  punk  condition  extends 

86 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

over  the  entire  inner  surface  of  the  sounding-board, 
and  its  depth  equals  1-32  inch.  In  places,  the  lin- 
ings on  upper  edge  of  the  ribs  are  hanging  in  par- 
tially decayed  shreds.  You  observe  that  both  lin- 
ings and  corner  blocks  are  much  lighter  than  those 
of  the  present  day. 

Why  all  samples  of  sounding-board  wood  of  equal 
age,  do  not  present  similar  punk  conditions  is  a 
matter  beyond  my  ken.  I  can  only  say  that  differ- 
ent samples  of  wood  possess  different  degrees  of 
resistance  to  slow  combustion. 

[In  my  younger  days,  punk,  gunpowder,  flint  and 
steel,  were  our  only  matches.  We  took  equal  pre- 
caution in  keeping  punk  and  powder  dry.  Thus 
kept,  punk  would  last  a  long  time;  but,. exposed  to 
heat  and  moisture,  as  when  found  in  the  woods,  it 
soon  turned  to  dust.  Not  every  decaying  log  yields 
a  good  quality  of  punk.  The  punk  hunter  must 
often  make  extended  search  before  finding  the 
best.  At  this  distant  day,  to  the  best  of  recollec- 
tion, the  best  quality  of  punk  was  found  in  large, 
dead  branches  upon  living  trees;  or  within  the 
trunk  of  trees  dying  while  standing.  In  woodcraft 
it  is  well  known  that  the  greatest  depth  of  color- 
changes  are  found  in  trees  dying  while  standing; 
also,  that  lumber  from  trees  thus  dying  sooner  de- 
cays. In  seeking  for  reasons  explaining  rapidi- 
ty of  disintegration  observable  in  the  better  grade 
of  old  violins,  some  writers  suggest  that  the  sound- 
boards thereof  were  obtained  from  trees  having 
died  while  standing.  Upon  this  point  there  ap- 
pears no  positive  evidence.  The  fact  that  some 

87 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

samples  of  sounding-boards  have  succumbed  to  the 
action  of  heat  and  moisture,  while  other  samples 
are  yet  sound,  remains  unexplained.] 

I  now  hold  this  violin  in  such  manner  that  you 
may  look  towards  the  inner  surface  of  the  back 
plate.  I  am  thus  particular  to  say  "look  towards" 
because  you  cannot  ''look  upon"  this  plate.  Your 
gaze  cannot  penetrate  through  this  deposit  of  earthy 
matter.  The  color  of  this  deposit  is  black,  and 
therefore  suggestive  of  alluvium.  But,  alluvium 
being  a  deposit  from  water,  we  must  therefore 
look  elswhere  for  the  origin  of  this  deposit  of  aeri- 
al dust  from  the  "Cremona  period." 

[Some  of  you  may  entertain  a  different  opinion. 
I  admit  that,  your  opinion  is  equally  as  good  as  mine, 
possibly  better  than  mine.  I  only  claim  myself 
unable  to  estimate  "Cremona  dust"  above  its  face 
value.  I  know  that  some  old-violin  experts,  "just 
out  for  their  health, "  (!),  claim  no  other  dust  has 
value.  I'm  not  "out  for  health."  I  admit  that 
Cremona  dust  has  a  penchant  for  settling  within 
the  violin.  Indeed,  assisting  such  dust  to  settle 
has  improved  the  health,  (!),  of  many  experts. 
Good  health  is  a  valuable  asset.  For  this  reason 
alone,  the  old-violin  "expert"  undoubtedly  will  re- 
main "out."] 

Were  I  attempting  the  old  violin  "expert"  role, 
I  might  continue  thus:  "Were  a  few  boulders  to 
be  seen  scattered  about  in  this  deposit,  'twould  in- 
dicate that  the  age  of  this  old  violin  is  co-equal 
with  the  glacial  epoch.  But,  as  boulders  are  ab- 
sent, we  may  therefore  safely  continue  march,  in  a 

88 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

backwards.  Undoubtedly  this  deposit  was  once  fly- 
ing particles  of  earthly  matter— dust— and  nebul- 
ous. Now  we  have  it.  The  nebulous  period  is  the 
limit. 

Gentlemen :  Behold  the  first  violin ! ' ' 
Having  now  removed  sufficient  punk  from  the 
sounding-board,  and  sufficient  dirt  from  the  back- 
plate,  we  are  enabled  to  observe  that  both  plates 
are  cut  from  the  "slab."  This  manner  of  working 
out  violin  plates  seems  to  have  prevailed  to  a  great- 
er extent  in  earlier  days  of  violin  history  than  in 
modern  times.  In  my  own  experience,  the 
"whole"  plate  yields  tone  equally  as  good  as  the 
divided  plate,  provided  that  the  grain  of  sounding- 
board  stands  at,  or  nearly  at  a  right  angle  to  the 
arching  in  the  tone-producing  area.  But  when 
such  grain  angle  is  oblique  to  the  arching  I  have 
always  found  that  tone  to  suffer  loss  in  both  power 
and  brilliance.  The  same  loss  also  occurs  in  the 
divided  sounding-board  when  the  grain  angle  is 
oblique  to  arching.  I  attribute  such  loss  to  dimin- 
ished fiber  action. 

[Honeyman  states  with  positiveness  that  when- 
ever a  Nicolas  Amatus  sounding-board  is  found 
with  thicknesses  less  than  i,  at  center,  and  i  at 
edges,  such  sounding-board  has  been  subjected  to 
re-graduation  by  some  modern  workman.  For  the 
sake  of  both  Music  and  humanity,  I  consider  such 
re-graduation  to  be  fortunate.  It  is  my  experience 
with  sounding-boards  thus  thick,  and  of  average 
density,  that  even  a  set  of  guage  1  strings  cannot 
overcome  rigidity  sufficiently  to  yield  one  octave  of 

89 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

good  tone  upon  each  string.]  As  evidence  bearing- 
upon  the  confusion  found  in  violin  history,  I  here 
quote  from  the  Frenchman,  N.  E.  Simoutre,  book 
and  charts,  Paris,  1885.  Simoutre  submits  charts 
of  two  Nicolas  Amati  violins  without  date:  Thick- 
ness, Plate  1,  center  of  sounding-board,  360mm, 
(meaning  three  and  five-tenths  millimeters)  down 
to  250mm,  and  at  the  edges,  400mm,  (meaning  4 
millimeters.)  Thickness,  Plate  2,  at  center 
450mm,  down  to  200mm,  and  at  the  edges,  300wm. 

(Simoutre  explains  his  figures  by  centieme  des 
millimetres,  meaning  so  many  hundredths  of  a 
millimetre. ) 

Comparing  the  thickness  at  the  center  of  the 
Nicolas  Amatus  sounding-board  given  by  Honey- 
man  with  the  greatest  thickness  given  by  Simoutre, 
we  find  a  difference  of  seven-hundredths  inch. 

Considering  the  depths  of  human  affection  for 
the  violin,  I  am  astounded  at  its  abuse.  Were  this 
old  violin  once  a  masterpiece  of  tone-art,  the  abuse 
to  which  it  has  been  subjected  is  ample  for  its 
ruin.  Repairing  this  "worn  old  thing,"  in  a  way 
to  extend  its  period  of  usefullness,  is  a  severe  tax 
upon  patience.  Brittle  as  glass,  it  demands  careful 
handling.  In  this  work,  a  money  consideration  cuts 
but  little  figure.  Reward  comes  in  listening  to  such 
sweet  tones  as  money  cannot  reproduce: 


90 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

Sweet  old  violin!    Worn, 

Torn,  scraped  from  e'n  till  morn! 

Work  for  thee  has  ever  been 

To  hand  out  joy  since  thou  wert  born. 

Dotage,  now  within  thy  form, 

Marks  thee  down  a  "worn  old  thing;" 

Yet,  thy  tone  to  us  remains 

A  gem  beyond  the  reach  of  king. 


91 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 
LECTURE  VI. 

GENTLEMEN:— Since  our  last  session  I  have  com- 
pleted repair-work,  re-touching  work,  and  now  pre- 
sent this  worn  old  violin  in  playing  order.  As  you 
observe,  the  marks  of  age  and  wear  are  much  less 
in  evidence.  From  your  seats,  the  patch-work  up- 
on head  and  peg-box  cannot  be  seen.  The  worn 
areas  upon  sounding-board,  back,  and  ribs  are  re- 
colored,  and  the  entire  exterior  is  re-finished.  In- 
deed, this  old  violin  no  longer  appears  as  a  "worth- 
less old  thing."  But,  the  exterior  work,  compared 
with  the  interior  work,  is  a  trifling  matter.  At  the 
time  of  building  this  violin,  its  exterior  surfaces 
were  given  a  quality  of  varnish-protection  sufficient- 
ly durable  to  last  to  the  end  of  time.  Gum  mast- 
ic, while  long  in  drying,  and  never  drying  hard,  is 
the  most  elastic,  and  the  toughest  gum  coming  un- 
der my  observation.  In  my  hands,  gum  mastic, 
with  oil  required  the  time  of  one  year  for  drying; 
and  even  after  ten  years,  it  is  not  dried  hard.  [As 
you  know,  violin  varnish  is  a  subject  arousing  end- 
less discussion.  I  do  not  intend  to  arouse  discus- 
sion upon  this  point.  I  shall  only  state  facts  as 
they  appear  to  me.  It  is  a  fact  in  my  observation 
that  any  varnish  whatever,  which  dries  hard, 
proves  itself  to  be  a  serious  damage  to  violin  tone. 
It  is  within  my  experience  that  varnish  interferes 
with  independent  action  of  sounding-board  fibers 
exactly  in  proportion  to  its  rigidity  when  dry.  As 
an  experiment,  many  times  have  I  "tied  up"  tone 
by  application  of  rigid-drying  gums  to  the  sound- 
ing board.  Equally  as  many  times  have  I  '  'untied' ' 

92 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

tone  by  removal  of  such  varnish.  I  do  not  find 
that  application  of  rigid-drying  gums  to  the  back 
plate  and  ribs  results  in  any  damage  whatever  to 
tone.  I  have  known  violin  users  who  prefer  the 
"tied  up"  tone.  To  satisfy  the  taste  of  such  vio- 
lin users  is  an  easy  matter,  and  of  certainty  in  at- 
tainment. Such  certainty  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
varnish  action,  or  rather,  lack  of  action,  is  a  con- 
stant factor.  Because  the  action  of  wood  is  not  a 
constant  factor,  therefore,  the  amount  of  varnish 
necessary  to  "tie  up"  the  tone  of  any  given  sound- 
ing-board can  only  be  determined  by  trial.  It  is  a 
fact  that  in  playing  upon  a  violin  having  the  "tied 
up"  tone,  less  care  is  necessary  in  handling  the 
bow.  As  a  sequence,  one  may  therefore  more  eas- 
ily pass  as  a  skillful  violin  player.  Of  course  such 
tone  fails  in  the  long-distance  test.] 

The  soft  varnish  upon  this  old  violin,  notwith- 
standing its  age  and  use,  would  be  to-day  in  per- 
fect condition  had  it  but  received  proper  care.  As 
an  example  of  correct  care  for  the  violin  I  know  of 
none  surpassing  that  of  the  renowned  violinist, 
Bernhard  Listemann.  That  Listemann  is  a  gentle- 
man of  the  old  school  needs  no  more  than  an  in- 
troduction. That  he  is  an  artist  the  world  knows. 
That  he  is  a  connoisseur,  and  collector  of  old  Italian 
violins,  is  in  evidence  at  the  moment  he  opens  his 
fire-proof  vault.  As  he  lifts  one  of  those  violins, 
his  care  is  in  evidence  thus:  His  left  is  holding  the 
neck;  his  right  thumb  and  index  finger  is  holding 
the  tail-pin.  As  he  presents  it  to  you,  he  politely 
says:  "Please  sir,  hold  it  thus,  and  do  not  touch 

93 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

the  varnish."  Upon  his  violins  you  do  not  see  a 
speck  of  dirt,  nor  a  speck  of  rosin,  nor  a  scratch 
from  button  or  finger-nail,  nor  a  greasy  imprint 
from  the  finger-tips.  Such  is  proper  care  of  the 
violin.  With  such,  care  continued,  the  brick  and 
stone  walls  of  the  Listemann  mansion  will  be  flying 
dust  ere  the  exterior  of  those  violins  shows  sign  of 
disintegration.  Now  I'm  not,  in  the  least  degree, 
going  into  ravings  over  Cremona  varnish,  nor  Cre- 
mona colors  in  Cremona  varnish.  I  never  rave 
without  at  least  50  per  cent,  of  absolute  in  mine. 
Thus  when  I  do  rave,  it  is  for  "good"  reason. 
Again,  because  of  peculiarities  in  my  optic  nerves, 
(for  which  I'm  not  in  blame)  "aerial  dust"  from 
the  Cremona  period  does  not  affect  my  eyesight. 
Therefore,  clear  gum  copal,  tempered  down  with 
clear  gums  of  softer  nature,  appear  just  the  same  to 
me  whether  lying  upon  the  Maggini,  the  Guarneri, 
the  Amati,  the  Stradivari,  the  Montagnani,  the 
Francisco  Ruggeri,  or  lying  upon  the  Franklino 
Robinsoni,  (Frank  Robinson),  but,  in  the  matter 
of  using  colors,  some  of  those  old  violin  builders, 
(not  all, )  did  possess  a  rather  unusual  development 
of  color-sense.  Because  color-sense  is  usually  a 
matter  of  growth  by  cultivation  it  therefore  fol- 
lows that  this  sense  will  not  be  possessed  by  all  in 
an  equal  degree.  Although  all  of  the  older  makers 
might  have  employed  the  same  gums,  yet,  in  color- 
ing such  gums,  widest  results  might  be  anticipated. 
It  is  evident  that  the  person  who  colored  the 
varnish  applied  upon  this  old  violin  was  largely  de- 
void of  color  sense'.  That  his  selection  of  gum  was 

94 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

excellent  is  in  evidence  by  the  resistance  to  wear 
while  yet  being  soft. 

(That  any  one  could  for  a  moment,  entertain  be- 
lief that  gums  can  be  made  to  permeate  wood,  upon 
which  they  are  laid  as  varnish,  is  to  me  something 
astounding.  Even  were  permeation  by  gums  a 
possibility,  nothing  but  ruin  of  sonority  could  fol- 
low. Such  ruin  is  easy  of  demonstration.  Many 
times  have  I  ruined  sonority  of  the  sounding-board 
by  applying  thereon  a  material  which  does  per- 
meate through  the  wood.  After  every  such  soak- 
ing, by  whatever  agent,  the  tone  thereafter  re- 
mains dead.  Several  violins,  ruined  by  soaking 
the  sounding-board  have  been  brought  to  my  notice. 
For  their  dead  tone  I  know  no  remedy  other  than 
a  new  sounding-board. )  Work  upon  the  interior 
surfaces  of  this  old  violin  is  of  vastly  greater  im- 
portance to  its  tone.  Those  slender  linings,  and 
light  corner-blocks  are  replaced  by  others  having 
more  than  two  times  greater  mass.  That  solidity 
of  linings  and  corner-blocks  adds  to  tone-power  is 
also  easy  of  demonstration.  By  removal  of  the 
linings  and  corner-blocks  from  any  violin  of  good 
tone-power,  the  proof  thus  obtained  affords  ample 
evidence.  To  the  great  original  thickness  of  this 
sounding-board  may  we  attribute  remaining  tone 
value  of  this  violin.  Had  its  original  thickness 
been  reduced  to  equal  thickness  with  the  Strad  of 
1707,  (given  by  Simoutre  as  2  and  8-10,  down  to  2 
and  7-10  mm, )  this  sounding-board  would  be  to-day 
in  a  hopeless  condition.  The  amount  of  disintegra- 
tion from  those  destructive  forces,  heat  and  mois- 

95 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ture,  would  now  be  sufficient  for  total  ruin.  Its 
re-graduation  is  copied  after  the  Strad  of  1707. 
First,  I  will  give  you  opportunity  to  judge  of  its 
tone,  and  thereafter  describe  the  grain  and  color 
within  the  sounding-board.  As  you  observe  at 
nearby  distances,  the  power  of  its  tone  is  not  great; 
but,  its  other  tone-qualities  cannot  be  excelled. 
Particularly  observe  the  power  of  harmonics.  As 
you  have  observed,  power  of  harmonic  tones,  from 
different  violins,  is  a  varying  quantity.  From 
dense  sounding-board  wood  I  have  not  been  success- 
ful in  securing  great  harmonic  tone-power.  Har- 
monics are  of  value  to  the  solo  violin.  Indeed,  than 
harmonic  overtones  and  harmonics  a  basset,  as  I  like 
to  call  them,  resultant  tones,  as  text-books  call 
them,  there  cannot  possibly  be  more  beautiful 
sound.  As  previously  shown,  to  these  beautiful 
sounds  must  be  credited  the  "rich"  violin  tone. 
In  my  experience,  audible  resultant-tones  are  diffi- 
cult of  production.  So  difficult  of  production  are 
they  that,  from  many  violins,  I  have  not  been  able 
to  produce  them  at  all.  Only  from  sounding-boards 
yielding  absolute  purity  of  musical  sound  have  I 
produced  them  in  marked  degree.  In  all  cases 
where  those  shadowy  creations  exist,  I  believe  the 
tone  of  such  violins  to  have  reached  the  limit  of 
tone-value.  To  make  audible  resultant  tone 
requires  two  other  tones  in  -exact  chord. 
Exactness  in  chord  of  the  generic  tones  is 
wherein  lies  the  difficulty.  At  the  least  perceptible 
variation  from  exactness,  those  filnay  sounds  in- 
stantly disappear,  and  no  coaxing  whatever  can 


96 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

induce  them  to  re-appear  until  after  exactness  in 
the  generic  tones  is  established.  (Text-books  state 
that,  as  a  rule,  resultant  tones  are  pitched  two 
octaves  below  the  generic  chord;  but,  exceptions 
to  such  rule  are  also  noted.  Thus:  The  resultant 
tone,  produced  by  the  third  and  tonic  above,  is  not 
two  octaves  below  either  third  or  tonic,  but,  is  two 
octaves  below  the  fifth  of  that  particular  scale. 
As  an  example  I  draw  out  the  tones  B,  and  its 
tonic  g  above  the  staff;  therefore  the  scale  is  G 
major,  and  the  fifth  therefore  is  D.  In  this  case 
the  resultant  tone  is  two  octaves  below  D;  and,  to 
find  its  pitch,  we  divide  the  pitch  of  D,  600  by  4, 
equals  150.  The  harmonic  overtones  of  B  and  g  are 
respectively,  one  octave  above.  Thus:  B  equals 
500;  its  harmonic,  1000;  g  equals  800;  its  harmonic 
1600.  Again  I  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that 
the  combination  of  such  five  tones  of  widely  vary- 
ing pitch  is  the  cause  for  the  "rich"  violin  tone.) 

Yes,  in  truth,  I  have  carefully  scrutinized  those 
sounding-boards  yielding  the  "rich"  tone.  I  have 
even  re-opened  such  violins  for  no  other  purpose 
than  to  re-examine  the  sounding-board.  As  you 
know,  my  work  upon  the  violin  as  been  chiefly 
given  to  such  as  have  been  in  use;  therefore  the 
''finish"  prevents  accurate  determination  of  physi- 
cal qualities  from  examination  of  outside  surfaces. 
To  the  best  of  my  ability,  I  will  now  describe  such 
physical  qualities  and  the  color  thereof.  First: 
The  grain  follows  a  straight  line,  with  no  deviation 
whatever,  nor  wherever.  Second:  The  yearly 
growths  are  neither  widest  nor  narrowest:  and 

97 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

measure  on  an  average,  18  to  the  inch.  (Extremes 
are  16  to  20.)  Third:  There  is  no  appearance  of 
fat  whatever.  Fourth:  There  is  no  sap-wood,  nor 
black- wood  spot.  Fifth:  The  wood  is  brittle. 
Sixth:  The  whole  grain  is  rather  soft  than  dense. 
Seventh:  A  keen,  smooth  cutting  tool  is  necessary 
to  leave  a  smooth  surface.  Eighth:  The  color  is 
the  deepest  yellow  of  butter  with  more  red  than  in 
any  sample  of  butter.  Ninth:  This  depth  of  color 
extends  through  the  sounding-board. 

From  all  evidences  in  wood-craft  that  I  am  able 
to  muster,  such  sounding-boards  only  come  from 
the  older  and  larger  trees. 

Both  plates,  and  linings,  and  blocks  of  this  old 
violin  are  now  hermetically  sealed.  It  is  therefore 
expected  that  never  again  will  those  terrifically  de- 
structive agents,  heat  and  moisture,  show  their 
presence  within  this  violin.  Therefore,  whatever 
of  tone  value  it  now  possesses,  it  will  possess  cen- 
turies hence.  That  its  tone  is  beautiful,  after  such 
interior  protection,  yourselves  may  verify.  You 
may  also  verify  to  the  beautiful  tone  of  59  other 
used  violins  having  similar  interior  protection. 

Someone  has  stated  that  the  average  longevity 
of  the  used  violin  is  80  years.  Upon  this  point  the 
difficulty  in  securing  accurate  statistics  is  apparent. 
To  the  violin  student,  the  average  period  of  violin 
usefulness  is  a  topic  possessing  much  interest. 
As  a  premise,  I  will  state  that  enthusiasm,  plus 
power  of  bow-arm  are  potentialities  affecting  violin 
longevity  not  to  be  omitted  from  consideration. 
Thus  when  stating  that  I  wore  out  a  good  violin 


98 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

sounding-board  in  30  years  you  will  first  look  at  my 
eyes  to  see  whether  I  mean  it  or  not.  Next,  you 
will  undoubtedly  look  at  my  200  pounds  of  human- 
ity and  mentally  "size  up"  my  16-inch  biceps,  plus 
enthusiasm.  Both  will  stand  inspection. 

It  seems  to  me  that  because  my  violin  has  noth- 
ing of  the  romantic,  nor  mysterious,  nor  spectacu- 
lar about  its  origin,  therefore  its  history  must  be 
refreshing.  Certainly  'twill  be  unique.  As  an  im- 
portation, my  violin  came  from  Luxembourg.  In 
this  fact  there's  nothing  extraordinary.  Haller, 
himself  a  Bohemian,  said  my  violin  was  undoubted- 
ly made  by  a  herder  of  sheep  on  Tyrolean  moun- 
tain. I  say  good  for  the  sheep,  good  for  the 
mountain,  better  for  the  herder  of  the  sheep,  and 
best  of  all  for  me,  for  that  violin  possessed  a  tone. 
That's  why  I  wore  that  violin  out.  That's  why 
Haller,  himself  my  violin  tutor,  thrice  counted  out 
$100  for  it.  That's  why  I  wouldn't  sell  it.  That's 
why  I  think  all  good  violin  makers  don't  hail  from 
Cremona.  That  violin  had  tone-power  to  give 
away.  But,  its  value  lay  not  in  tone-power.  Its 
tone-intensity  was  marked  to  a  rare  degree.  Its 
value  was  not  in  intensity.  It  was  both  brilliant 
and  sweet.  Not  there  its  value.  Other  violins 
possessed  power,  intensity,  brilliance,  and  sweet- 
ness of  tone,  but  compared  with  my  violin,  were 
valueless  to  me.  I  am  now  come  to  something 
which  is  extraordinary.  My  violin  possessed  hu- 
man-like tone-quality.  Its  tone  could  weep  in  des- 
pairing sorrow,  in  contrition,  in  joy;  it  could  pray 
in  deepest  devoutness;  it  could  laugh  in  utmost 

99 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

abandon;  it  could  sing  sweetly  as  a  bird.  In  these 
tone-qualities  lay  its  value. 

Sell  my  violin? 

Starvation  first! 

Even  then  I'd  have  worked  the  "hand  outs"  to 
the  limit. 

In  thirty  years  use  that  powerful,  intense,  bril- 
liant, sympathetic,  human  tone  went  down  into 
piano.  At  first  I  did  not  discover  the  reason.  I 
attributed  the  reason  to  first  one  thing  and  then 
another.  I  tried  strings  of  different  sizes;  finger 
boards  at  different  heights,  of  different  densities, 
of  different  weight;  bridges  of  different  mass,  of 
different  density;  posts,  ditto;  but  all  were  of  no 
avail.  Hitherto  in  moments  of  triumph,  my  violin 
had  always  brightly  looked  up  into  my  eyes  for 
approval.  I  always  granted  all  it  asked  of  me. 
But  now  I  noticed  a  change  in  its  look.  In  place 
of  its  wonted  brightness,  there  was  sadness.  Pity- 
ingly it  looked  up  at  me  now.  The  deep  despair  on 
its  sweet  face  brought  enlightenment  to  me.  Upon 
discovery  that  the  caresses  of  my  bow  were  crush- 
ing the  life  out  of  my  pet,  the  pain  at  my  heart 
was  something  I  would  like  to  forget.  Gently  I 
laid  it  in  its  case  nor  opened  that  case  in  two 
years. 

I  couldn't. 

I  am  but  an  ordinary  violinist.  I  never  could 
play  anything  behind  nor  on  top  of  the  bridge,  nor 
but  little  in  front  of  it.  With  that  violin  I  didn't 
have  to  do  much  myself.  It  did  best  when  I  med- 
dled least  with  its  moods.  Often  I  gave  way  to 


100 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

those  moods.  Then  it  was  in  delight. 
Then  it  would  lead  me  a  chase  through  the 
shadows  and  sunshine  of  melody  in  a  way 
at  once  my  despair  of  representation  by  notes. 
Years  have  rushed  past.  To-day  memory  rushes 
me  back  to  days  when  I  lived  in  the  little  city  of 
C.  In  a  large  majority,  its  people  came  from  the 
thither  Atlantic  shore.  Each  of  such  had  exper- 
ienced the  heart-ache  in  family  partings.  Each  of 
such,  loving  liberty,  firm  in  purpose,  buoyed  by 
hope,  had  left  loved  ones  and  set  out  for  that 
bright  western  star  whose  symbol  is  known  to  the 
world  as  U.  S.  A.  Each  of  such,  knowing,  the 
rustling,  jostling,  pushing,  human  activity,  the 
crushing,  whelming,  human  pain  at  departure,  ask- 
ed my  violin  to  paint  that  scene  abandoned  by  art- 
ist-brush in  lack  of  color  for  the  pain  of  brother 
parting  from  brother,  parting  from  father, 
parting  from  weeping,  dear  old  mother;  for 
the  pain  of  sister,  alone,  braving  the  sea  for  a  home 
with  the  free;  for  the  pain  of  father  his  family 
leaving,  for  the  sound  of  gong,  for  father's  tender 
tone  in  "good  bye,  son,"  "good  bye,  daughter," 
for  his  heart-aching  tone  to  wife,  "Mother"  he 
calls  her,  (gong),  for  the  silence  as  his  arms 
enfold  her,  "Mother,"  'tis  but  a  whisper,  gone  her 
voice,  (last  gong),  for  the  smothered  sob  from 
father's  pain-heaving  chest,  for  his  unsteady  step, 
as  blindly  he  follows  the  sound,  for  the  thud  of 
"Mother's"  falling,  for  the  hissing  of  steam,  for 
''all  aboard,"  for  the  fainting  shout  of  fading 
friend,  for  the  crashing  of  pounding  billow,  for  the 

101 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

storm  demon's  maddening  shriek,  calling  for  hu- 
man victims  daring  his  fury,  for  the  quiet  of  re- 
turning calm,  for  the  relief  of  human  tension  in 
3-4  rythm,  for  the  hum  of  returning  animation  in 
rollicking  2-4,  for  the  joyful  shout,  "Land,  ho!"- 
yet,  my  violin  accepted  such  invitation. 

I  loved  that  violin. 

Poor  Patti!  She,  the  one  bright  star  of  us  elder- 
ly folk,  at  65  weeping— weeping  because  her  once 
thrilling  tone  has  gone  down  into  dotage! 

In  public  I  have  not  wept. 

In  private,  the  handkerchief  in  my  right  is  yet 
convenient. 

Strange  how  this  idol  of  wood  can  find  its  way 
down  into  deep  recesses  of  human  heart,  thence 
defying  all  comers! 

Occasionally,  in  unexpected  moments,  and  in  un- 
expected places,  one  reads  fragmentary  statements 
about  this  thing,  or  that  thing,  able  to  restore  vio- 
lin tone.  After  the  tone  of  my  violin  had  gone 
down  into  dotage,  one  such  statement  attracted  my 
attention.  The  writer,  without  attaching  signa- 
ture, stated  that  oil  varnish,  applied  to  worn  out 
violins,  had  power  to  restore  tone.  At  that  time 
I  neither  could  affirm  nor  deny  such  statement  be- 
cause of  having  no  experience  with  oil  varnish. 
Although  this  statement  bore  little  of  sound  logic, 
yet,  being  something  not  tried  upon  my 
violin,  I  therefore  decided  upon  giving  oil  varnish  a 
trial.  From  a  friend,  I  procured  a  quantity  of  such 
varnish,  together  with  instructions  in  the  manner 
of  its  application.  With  strings  and  bridge  in  po- 

102 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

sition,  I  began  the  work  of  applying  oil  varnish  by 
the  "rubbing"  process.  As  this  method  of  apply- 
ing varnish  was  new  to  me,  I  could  not  determine 
how  much  varnish  I  was  using,  but  thinking  if 
there's  good  in  little,  there's  good  in  more,  I  gave 
a  whole  day  to  rubbing  it  on. 

(At  this  moment,  I  think  of  the  truth  in,  "How 
little  we  know  without  experience. ' '  I  also  con- 
fess to  an  attack  of  "quick  return"  fever.  You 
know  what  "quick  return"  fever  is.  It  is  that 
"can't  wait"  feeling.  Humanity  in  general  may 
be  attacked  with  this  fever;  but,  its  most  virulent 
form  is  manifested  upon  such  as  handle  the  violin. ) 

Of  course,  at  the  moment  of  completing  this 
days  work,  I  was  filled  with  anxiety,  buoyed  by 
hope,  and  pulled  down  by  doubt.  Hope  in  the  pos- 
sibility of  restoring  tone  to  my  de-throned  violin 
made  me  over-anxious  for  returns.  Therefore,  I 
threw  down  the  rubbing  pad,  picked  up  a  bow,  and 
drew  from  the  G  an  octave  of  the  "deadest"  tone 
imaginable. 

(Not  many  of  us  go  through  life  without  seeing 
ghosts;  at  least  we  thought  so  at  the  time,  which 
amounts  to  enough  for  a  story.  The  point  is,  the 
ways  of  ghosts  are  sudden.  Their  coming  is  never 
announced  by  shrieking  whistle  nor  clanging  bell, 
nor  grinding  wheel,  nor  sounding  horn.  Suddenly 
they  come.  Suddenly  we  go;  that  is,  so  soon  as  our 
suddenly  vanishing  breath  permits  of  going.  The 
suddenness  of  ghostly  appearance  is  not  more 
startling  than  the  phenomenon  appearing  upon  the 
sounding-board  of  my  violin  as  I  removed  it  from 

103 


.VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

beneath  my  chin. ) 

This  phenomenon  consisted  in  a  large  number  of 
crater-like  openings,  or  upheavals,  in  the  oil  var- 
nish I  had  just  put  on.  Some  of  those  openings 
were  3-16  in  diameter,  and  running  from  that  di- 
ameter down  to  mere  points.  The  crater-like  open- 
ings were  so  near  together  that  the  edge  of  each 
touched  that  of  its  neighbor.  In  this  varnish  phe- 
nomenon, the  point  of  greatest  interest  is  its  locat- 
ion. Doubtless  you  are  familiar  with  the  theory 
of  the  French  philosopher,  Savart,  upon  the  quest- 
ion, "How  the  violin  operates  to  produce  sound." 
You  remember  those  elaborate,  scientific  experi- 
ments, and  his  conclusion  therefrom;  that  the  top- 
plate,  back-plate,  and  ribs,  all  join  at  once  in  strik- 
ing those  blows  upon  contained  air  resulting  in  the 
production  of  sound? 

(From  N.  E.  Simoutre's  book,  1885,  I  infer  that 
Savart  is  yet  regarded  in  France,  as  an  auth- 
ority upon  this  question.  From  other  sources,  I 
learn  that  Savart 's  theories  are  considered  as  ex- 
ploded. Up  to  the  moment  of  this  varnish  phe- 
nomenon, I  was  a  follower  of  Savart.  His  drafts 
on  science  looked  genuine,  and,  in  no  guide  book 
could  I  find  either  affirmation  or  denial  of  his  posit- 
ion. I  therefore  fell  in  with  his  conclusions  with- 
out attempting  any  demonstration  myself.  Really, 
after  German  and  English  philosophers  dismissed 
violin  tone  with  sui  generis,  (self-generating,) 
thereby  practically  abandoning  the  problem  as 
unsolvable,  I  had  no  hope  of  ever  finding,  or  see- 
ing such  solution.  I  do  not  claim  such  solution  to 

104 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

exist  now  except  as  a  partial  solution. 
From  my  point  of  view,  the  evidence  afforded 
by  this  phenomenon,  together  with  other 
demonstrations,  to  be  given  later,  are  ample 
proof  of  error  in  Savart's  theory  of  how  the  violin 
operates  to  produce  sound. ) 

There  is  not  a  shadow  of  doubt  about  the  cause 
of  this  varnish  disturbance.  The  upheaval  of  this 
soft  mass  is  wholly  due  to  oscillations,  or  vibratory 
movements,  (synonymous  terms, )  of  the  sounding- 
board.  I  applied  the  bow  only  upon  the  G  string. 
The  point  is,  can  you,  or  I,  or  anyone  whatever, 
pre-determine  the  location  of  this  disturbance  by 
any  existing  theory  of  how  the  violin  operates  to 
produce  sound?  It  is  at  once  self-evident  that  such 
disturbance  must  exist  over  the  entire  violin  body, 
did  the  entire  body  act  with  equal  energy  in  pro- 
ducing sound.  The  varnish  I  applied  was  equally 
distributed  over  the  entire  body.  The  area  of 
disturbance  is  limited.  In  length,  this  area  equals 
2  and  £  inches;  its  width,  1  and  i  inches.  The  lar- 
ger craters  are  at  the  center  of  such  area.  From 
the  center,  the  size  of  the  craters  diminishes  down 
to  mere  dots.  It  is  self-evident  that  the  widest 
sounding-board  oscillation  occurred  directly  be- 
neath the  wider  craters.  It  is  also  self  evident 
that  this  point  of  greatest  sounding-board 
oscillation  is  the  center  of  a  certain  area  responsible 
for  G-string  tone.  I  call  attention  to  the  fact  that 
the  G-tone  of  this  violin  was  once  noted  for  its 
power.  I  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  locat- 
ion of  this  area  of  varnish  disturbance  affords  a 

105 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

valuable  cue  in  tone-regulation  of  the  violin;  also, 
to  the  fact  that  the  finding  of  the  area  responsible 
for  G-string  tone  led  to  finding  the  areas  responsi- 
ble for  D,  A,  and  E-string  tone;  also,  to  my  conclu- 
sion that  the  violin  sounding-board  is  wholly  re- 
sponsible for  violin  tone.  I  mean  that  to  the  blows 
delivered  by  the  sounding-board  upon  contained 
air  do  I  now  attribute  violin  tone. 

(This  statement  does  not  include  violin  tone- 
modifiers;  as  the  strong  back-plate;  the  weak  back- 
plate;  imperfect  inner  surface  of  the  back  plate; 
position  and  area  of  exits;  model  of  violin;  position, 
length,  density  and  diameter  of  post;  position,  den- 
sity, height,  and  mass  of  bridge;  height  weight, 
and  under  surface  of  finger-board;  diameter  and 
quality  of  strings;  amount  and  quality  of  varnish. 
These  modifiers  of  tone  will  be  considered  at  a 
later  date.) 

I  will  now  consider  the  location  of  varnish  dis- 
turbance. The  center  of  this  area  is  half-way  from 
the  position  or  the  bridge  to  upper  edge  of  the 
sounding-board,  and  I  inch  to  the  left  of  the  bar. 
Possibly  none  will  view  the  location  of  this  area  of 
varnish  disturbance  as  I  view  it.  As  I  view  it, 
this  varnish  phenomena,  and  its  location,  turned 
a  flood  of  light  directly  upon  the  sounding-board 
areas  responsible  for  tone  of  each  violin  string. 

During  more  than  ten  years  of  continuous  work, 
since  occurrence  of  this  accident,  (I  call  it  accident 
No.  2.)  I  have  used  this  index  in  tone-regulation  of 
used  sounding-boards  without  once  meeting  dis- 
appointment. Therefore  am  I  convinced  that  this 

106 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

index  is  reliable.  From  this  index  I  learned  where 
to  find,  and  how  to  correct  sounding-board  errors 
injurious  to  tone  of  all  strings,  or  only  injurious  to 
any  single  string.  Therefore  I  consider  this  index 
of  exceeding  value  to  the  violin.  I  also  acknow- 
ledge this  index  to  be  the  triumph  of  accident. 
Science  has  no  part  whatever  in  its  existence.  Sci- 
ence can  only  come  along  with  a  post  facto  explana- 
tion. It  is  my  belief  yet,  that  science  cannot  build 
a  violin.  I  mean  that  by  no  scientific  formula  can 
you,  nor  I,  nor  any  person  whatever,  pre-determine 
violin  tone  throughout  the  list  of  violin  tone-pecul- 
iarities. 

I  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  this  index  great- 
ly simplifies  the  work  of  tone-regulation;  also,  to 
the  fact  that  such  regulation  may  be  directed 
wholly  to,  and  upon,  the  sounding-board.  In  this 
matter,  the  evidence  afforded  by  accident  No.  2 
may  be  accepted  as  corroboration  of  the  facts  many 
years  known  to  violin  students.  In  the  last  ten 
years  of  my  work,  the  back-plate  has  been  wholly 
ignored  as  a  tone-producing  agent.  I  have  only 
treated  the  back  as  a  tone-modifier  during  the  time 
mentioned.  All  I  now  ask  of  the  back-plate  is  that 
its  inner  surface  be  absolutely  perfect  for  the  re- 
flection of  sound-waves,  and  that  its  rigidity  be  suf- 
ficient to  withstand,  without  a  tremor,  the  charge 
of  molecular  movement  originating  at  the  sounding- 
board.  I  am  aware  of  the  fact  that  many  good  vi- 
olin makers  continue  to  treat  the  back-plate  as  a 
tone-producing  agent.  Such  violin  makers  may 
continue  to  produce  good  violins. 

107 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

(This  question  seems  to  possess  a  tenacity  to  life 
equal  to  the  tenacity  in  the  question  of  planting 
potatoes.  The  enterprising  Circassian,  although 
finding  the  American  aborigine  enjoying  potatoes, 
failed  to  find  traditional  authority  pertaining  to  the 
proper  phase  of  the  moon  for  planting  potatoes. 
Such  omission  entailed  a  seemingly  perpetual  di- 
vision in  Circassian  ranks.  Yet,  strangely,  both 
sides  to  the  controversy  grow  good  potatoes. ) 

As  I  view  the  location  of  this  varnish  disturbance, 
it  also  affords  a  demonstration  for  the  power  of 
sympathetic  action.  Briefly,  as  a  law  in  physics, 
it  may  be  stated  that  the  power  of  sympathetic 
action  diminishes  inversely  as  the  square  of  the 
distance.  Therefore,  that  part  of  the  sounding- 
board  nearest  the  string  must  receive  greater  im- 
petus from  string-action  than  the  part  farthest 
from  the  strings.  Therefore  we  might  pre-sup- 
pose  the  greater  varnish  disturbance  to  be  located 
upon  the  upper-half  of  the  sounding-board.  As  I 
held  the  violin  beneath  my  chin  I  could  plainly  feel 
sounding-board  vibration  at  that  point,  as  was  us- 
ual. Therefore,  I  know  that  the  sounding-board 
acted  in  nearly  its  entire  length  at  the  moment  of 
causing  the  varnish  disturbance.  But,  that  such 
action  was  of  less  power  in  the  lower-half  of  the 
sounding-board  is  proven  by  the  fact  that  no  var- 
nish disturbance  whatever  appeared  on  the  lower- 
half. 

(Within  the  limits  of  my  observation,  sym- 
pathetic action,  excited  in  the  sounding-board  by 
string-action,  has  not  heretofore  received  atten- 

108 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

tion.  For  that  reason  I  am  desirous  of  your  opin- 
ion thereon.  Indeed,  in  giving  my  conclusions  in 
this  matter,  I  expect  to  be  favored  by  the  opinions 
of  other  students  of  violin  tone.  Because  this  new 
question  is  brought  before  us  by  accident,  I  there- 
fore entertain  no  feelings  of  proprietorship.  It  is 
yours  as  much  as  mine.  Nothing  but  the  presen- 
tation of  the  question  happens  to  belong  to  me. ) 

I  do  not  find  the  laws  governing  sympathetic  ac- 
tion to  be  complex.  On  the  contrary,  such  laws 
are  easy  of  comprehension.  Up  to  this  moment  I 
can  call  up  only  two  facts  as  bases  for  such  laws: 

(1)  Equal  susceptibility  to  force. 

(2)  Proximity  of  bodies. 

That  equal  susceptibility  to  force  is  a  con- 
dition necessary  to  sympathetic  action  may  be 
demonstrated  by  attempting  to  excite  such  action 
in  bodies  possessing  widely  varying  mass,  density, 
and  rigidity.  Such  attempts  are  failures  because 
such  widely  varying  bodies  are  not  excited  to  vibra- 
tory action  by  an  identical  force.  As  a  ready-to- 
hand  means  for  demonstrating  unequal  susceptibil- 
ity to  force,  I  employ  this  violin.  As  you  observe, 
each  string  on  this  violin  yields  powerful  tone. 
These  strings  are  carefully  selected  guage  2.  The 
rigidity  of  sounding-board  beneath  each  string  has 
been  carefully  reduced  until  the  force  in  the  blow 
of  each  string,  at  concert  pitch,  is  ample  for  pro- 
duction of  vibratory  action  in  the  sounding-board 
and  corresponding  to  the  action  of  each  string.  I 
remove  this  G  and  replace  it  with  this  E.  In  its 
new  position  the  E-tone  is  weak.  Now,  the  sound- 

109 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ing-board  beneath  the  E  is  not  susceptible  to  iden- 
tical force  with  the  E.  Hence  there  is  no  sym- 
pathetic action  between  these  two  bodies.  In  its 
proper  position,  the  tone  from  this  E  is  powerful; 
and  such  tone-power  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  E, 
and  the  sounding-board  beneath  the  E,  are  suscep- 
tible to  an  identical  force.  Hence  sympathetic 
action  exists,  and  its  existence  augments  tone- 
power. 

(Often  in  re-toning  work  I  demonstrated  the  value 
in  "Let  well  enough  alone."  Thus,  after  deter- 
mining length  of  strings  to  be  used,  after  deter- 
ming  length  by  position  of  bridge,  after  adjusting 
length,  mass,  and  position  of  post,  after  determin- 
ing mass  and  height  of  bridge,  after  testing  the 
tone  and  finding  slight  weaknesses  here  and  there, 
and  positively  knowing  such  weakness  to  be  due 
to  too  much  sounding-board  wood  here  and  there, 
after  reducing  thickness  in  such  places  with  my 
utmost  precaution,  after  securing  even  power  for 
all  strings,  then  idiotic-like,  instead  V)f  letting 
well  enough  alone,  I  have  lost  my  work  by  trying 
to  do  better  than  "well  enough."  The  ' 'Elgin," 
adjusted  to  temperature,  position,  isochronism,  and 
running  "well  enough,"  is  not  more  susceptible  to 
idiotic  treatment  than  the  finely  adjusted  violin. 
With  not  more  safety  can  we  file  off  metal  at  any 
point  on  the  periphery  of  the  Elgin  balance  wheel, 
than  we  can  change  the  pitch  of  strings,  diameter 
of  strings,  length  of  strings,  height  of  bridge,  mass 
of  bridge,  density  of  bridge,  length  of  post,  mass 
of  post,  position  of  post,  and  sounding-board  rigid- 

110 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ity  of  the  ..finely  adjusted,  tone-regulated  violin. 
"Tis  no  use  to  cry  about  spoiling  my  work.  Crying 
but  adds  "baby"  to  ''idiot."  With  expressions 
more  or  less  colored,  I  jump  up,  seize  the  red  pen- 
cil and  write  upon  the  wall,  "Let  Well  Enough 
Alone.") 

The  familiar,  fun-provoking  broom-stick  fiddle  is 
not  without  a  lesson  of  value.  Although  its  one 
vipjin  D-string  arouses  no  '.'sympathy"  neither 
from  the  audience  nor  from  the  broom-stick,  yet, 
it  has  an  opportunity  to  demonstrate  its  tone-pro- 
ducing power  when  totally  unaided  by  sympathetic 
action.  'K'^'t-. 

Proximity,  of  bodies,  .as  a  basis  for  law  gdvern- 
ing  sympatKetic  action,,  may  be  demonstrated  in 
a  variety  of  ways.  As  an  imperfect  way,  and  only 
because  of  Convenience,  I  remove  all  strings  upon 
this  violin  to  a  greater  distance  from  the  sounding- 
board  by  replacing  thjs  bridge  with  another  £  of  an 
inch  higher.  As  you. observe,,  tone-power  of  all 
strings  is  perceptibly  diminished.  Although  faulty, 
yet,  this  demonstration  shows  that  sympathetic 
action  diminishes  as  distance  increases. 

It  is  evident  that  distance  may  annihiliate  sym- 
pathetic action.  Per  contra,  proximity  augments 
sympathetic  action.  From  these  facts  I  conclude 
that  sympathetic  action  causes  wider  amplitude  of 
oscillation  in  the  upper-half  of  the  sounding-board; 
and,  to  such  wider  oscillation,  with  its  augmented 
power,  do  I  attribute  the  location  of  this 
varnish  disturbance.  From  the  same  facts,  I  also 
conclude  that  the  upper-half  of  the  sounding-board, 

111 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

to  a  limited  distance  either  side  of  the  bar,  is  re- 
sponsible for  G-string  tone-power.  From  the  same 
facts  do  I  conclude  that  rigidity  should  be  less  in 
the  lower-half  than  in  the  upper-half  of  the  sound- 
ing-board. Distance  certainly  diminishes  the  force 
of  sympathetic  action  as  the  square  of  the  distance. 

(Knowing  that  every  sentence  in  the  description 
of  this  varnish  phenomenon,  together  with  my 
conclusions  therefrom,  will  be  subjected  to  the 
limits  of  scrutiny,  I  have  therefore  called  upon  my 
utmost  ability  for  clearness  of  diction.  Should  you 
find  lack  of  clearness  upon  any  point,  and  should 
you  desire  further  elucidation  thereon,  you  need 
only  to  notify  me.  In  advance,  I  request  your 
opinions  on  my  conclusions.  I  admit  the  fact  that 
"two  heads  are  better  than  one."  I  admit  that 
your  opinions  may  be  better  than  mine;  therefore 
your  opinions  will  be  received  with  pleasure. ) 

I  have  now  completed  the  presentation  of  varn- 
ish phenomenon  No.  1.  Varnish  phenomenon  No. 
2  will  be  presented  upon  a  later  occasion. 


112 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 
LECTURE    VII. 

GENTLEMEN:  At  this  hour  I  present  varnish 
phenomenon  No.  2.  As  you  remember  var- 
nish phenomenon  No.  1  occurred  on  the  exterior 
surface  of  my  violin.  Varnish  phenomenon  No.  2 
occurred  upon  the  interior  surface  of  another  vio- 
lin. The  latter  violin  is  the  first  in  a  list  of  sixty 
wherein  I  applied  an  interior  surface  protection, 
and  the  latter  phenomenon  is  due  to  two  errors: 
(1)  Crudity  in  application  of  material.  (2)  Assem- 
bling and  testing  tone  before  the  material  becomes 
dry. 

[Thinking  that  some  reader  may  wish  to  do  in- 
terior surface  work  upon  the  used  violin,  and  de- 
siring that  such  person  may  not  meet  with  disap- 
pointment, I  am  therefore  careful  to  note  my  own 
mistakes.  It  is  quite  safe  to  assume  that,  in  all 
lines  of .  human  activity,  mistakes  are  made.  In 
knowing  such  mistakes,  they  may  be  avoided.  Aft- 
er ten  years  of  effort  in  protecting  interior  violin 
surfaces  from  disintegration  and  thinking  that  I 
succeeded  in  affecting  such  protection  without  in- 
jury to  tone,  yet,  I  do  not  know  or  claim,  that  the 
details  of  my  surfacing  work  cannot  be  improved. 
I  shall  be  heartily  glad  to  know  that  my  own  efforts 
have  received  improvement.] 

Crudity  in  application  of  material  is  shown  thus: 
(a)  By  failure  in  preparation  of  wood-surface,  (b) 
By  application  of  an  excess  of  material.  After  my 
experience  in  this  interior  surfacing  work— after 
observing  the  intensity  and  brilliance  of  tone  with- 
out loss  of  sweetness  whatever,  I  find  myself  won- 

113 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

dering  why  I  did  not  sooner  understand  that  inter- 
ior surfaces  of  the  violin  ought  to  be  equally  per- 
fect with  interior  surfaces  of  the  flute,  clarinet  and 
horn.  In  the  latter  instruments,  intensity  and 
brilliance  of  tone  are  modified,  for  better  or  worse, 
by  the  degree  of  interior  surface  perfection.  I  am 
now  fully  satisfied  that  the  same  condition  affects 
violin  tone.  In  every  method  of  applying  trans- 
parent finish  to  wood,  swelling  of  grain  is  a  diffi- 
culty to  be  met.  Coming  directly  to  the  point,  I 
know  of  nothing  causing  less  swelling  of  grain 
than  boiled  linseed  oil.  But,  I  find  there  is  a  right  and 
wrong  way  to  apply  oil.  I  do  not  find  that  oil  alone, 
or  in  mixture  with  the  slowest  drying  gums,  pene- 
trates even  the  softest  pine  or  white  cedar  when 
applied  in  such  attenuated  layers  as  is  possible  to 
the  "rubbing  process."  I  find  that  wood  surfaces 
must  be  carefully  prepared  in  order  to  secure  the 
greatest  attenuation  of  oil,  either  alone  or  in  mix- 
tures. In  used  violins  I  have  never  found  interior 
surfaces  ready  for  the  reception  of  finishing  mater- 
ial. The  interior  surface  of  the  used  sounding- 
board  usually  presents  a  series  of  ridges  and  val- 
leys caused  by  the  swelling  of  the  connective  tis- 
sues between  the  denser  fibers.  The  depth  and 
heighth  of  these  ridges  and  valleys  varies  with  the 
amount  of  water  vapor  absorbed.  As  previously 
shown,  different  samples  of  sounding-board  wood 
absorb  different  amounts  of  moisture  owing  to 
variations  in  the  caliber  of  sap  carrying  capiDary 
tubes.  The  interior  surface  of  the  hard  wood  back 
and  ribs  very  often  present  uneveness  from  un- 

114 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

equal  shrinkage  in  the  transverse  markings;  the 
denser  part  standing  as  a  low  ridge,  the  tubular 
part  as  a  shallow  depression.  The  point  is  to  level 
down  all  such  ridges  and  remove  all  moisture  be- 
fore applying  any  protecting  material  whatever.  I 
find  artificial  heat  quite  often  a  necessity  for  re- 
moval of  moisture  from  used  violin  wood;  also  a 
necessity  for  continuing  the  employment  of  artific- 
ial heat  until  after  surface  work  and  the  applica- 
tion of  finishing  material  becomes  accomplished 
facts. 

For  leveling  down  ridges,  I  prefer  to  use  sand- 
paper over  a  block  of  wood  rather  than  held  over 
the  fingers.  The  finger  palps,  being  soft  will 
cushion  more  or  less,  and  thus  continue  cutting 
away  valley  surfaces,  whereas,  the  block,  being 
rigid,  only  cuts  away  the  ridges.  For  such  block 
I  employ  any  firm  wood,  i  inch  thick,  H  inches 
in  width  and  2i  in  length,  having  one  edge  curved 
and  slightly  oval.  Upon  the  sounding-board,  the 
ridges  are  leveled  down  ^  by -working  across  the 
transverse  markings.  Sometimes  this  work  upon 
the  back  plate  requires  considerable  time  to  cut 
down  the  dense  ridges.  But,  in  my  hands,  the 
scraper  is  a  dangerous  tool  for  such  work-  because 
of  tearing  out  pieces  of  wood,  and  especially  dan- 
gerous in  old,'  brittle  wood.  For  such  reasons -I  pa- 
tiently continue  with  the  sandpaper  until  the  brown 
surface  of  the  valleys  appears  new.  I  next  remove 
sandpaper  marks  with  powdered  pumice  and  pol- 
ishing pad  of  felt  having  one  surface  slightly 
moistened  with  boiled  oil,  only  using  sufficient  oil 

115 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

to  hold  pumice  to  its  work.  The  final  preparatory 
work  is  done  with  the  "bone. "  The  "bone"  is  a 
piece  of  hard  ebony,  of  a  size  convenient  to  hold, 
having  one  end,  or  edge,  slightly  curved  and  oval, 
and  polished  to  the  limit.  With  this 4  'bone' '  the  sur- 
faces are  rubbed  until  they  are  of  a  mirror-like 
smoothness,  whereafter  they  are  ready  to  receive 
the  protecting  material.  Upon  surfaces  thus  pre- 
pared, oil,  alone,  or  in  mixture,  may  be  rubbed  on 
in  coats  of  the  greatest  possible  attenuation,  and 
with  imperceptible  swelling  of  grain.  The  inner 
surface  of  the  ribs,  the  blocks,  and  the  linings, 
receive  the  same  careful  attention. 

In  this  work  there  are  two  important  objects  to 
keep  in  view.  First  to  only  apply  sufficient  mater- 
ial to  cover  the  wood.  Second:  To  produce  a  per- 
fectly smooth  surface.  For  this  work,  the  brush 
cannot  secure  the  attenuation  of  the  material  that 
is  easily  secured  by  the  rubbing  process.  Fluidity 
of  protective  material  is  something  to  avoid,  espec- 
ially in  the  first  coat.  The  dry  wood  will  absorb 
moisture  from  the  fluid  applied  by  the  brush,  thus 
defeating  the  object  of  hermetically  sealing  up 
DRY  WOOD.  The  case  is  different  from  that  of  ap- 
plying protection  to  the  outside  surface  of  the  vio- 
lin plates.  Should  absorption  of  fluid  occur  at  the 
outside  surface,  it  may  escape  from  the  interior 
surface,  and  no  precaution  against  admission  of 
moisture  into  the  wood  can  be  too  great.  When 
hermetically  sealed,  moisture  can  neither  enter  nor 
escape  from  the  wood.  Hence  the  necessity  for 
doing  this  work  in  a  dry  atmosphere  and  the 

116 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

employment  of  a  material  containing  the  minimum 
of  fluid.  I  know  of  no  protecting  material  afford- 
ing less  of  moisture  absorption  than  boiled  linseed 
oil.  That  this  oil  does  not  penetrate  the  softest 
wood,  when  applied  by  the  rubbing  process,  and  in 
attenuated  coats,  will  be  shown  at  a  later  moment. 
But,  after  observing  that  when  a  mixture  of  oil  and 
gum  copal,  tempered  down  with  softer  gums,  is 
employed,  the  oil,  drying  with  less  rapidity,  and 
being  largely  forced  out  of  the  mixture,  and  lying 
upon  the  surface,  I  have  since  employed  this  mix- 
ture for  interior  surface-protection  to  the  exclus- 
ion of  all  other  agents.  With  the  oil  thus  forced 
out,  I  have  tried  two  methods  for  its  disposal. 
First:  Allowing  it  to  remain  and  dry  as  part  of 
the  finish.  Second:  Removing  it  with  a  soft  cloth 
at  the  expiration  of  twelve  hours  after  application. 
The  gums,  then  being  semi-solid  are  not  roughen- 
ed by  careful  removal  of  oil.  The  latter  method 
has  an  advantage  in  greater  smoothness  of  surface, 
and  greater  rapidity  in  drying.  With  surface  oil 
removed,  the  gum  will  dry  in  24  hours.  With  sur- 
face oil  remaining,  time  required  for  drying  will 
vary  as  to  the  amount  of  oil,  from  4  to  7  days. 

For  application  of  protecting  material,  the  de- 
tails are  as  follows:  In  my  experience,  heavy,  fine, 
long-knap  cotton  flannel  has  proven  the  best  ma- 
terial for  the  rubbing  pad.  I  cut  out  a  piece  2x4 
inches  and  fold  it  once,  end  to  end  and  knap  out- 
side. To  insure  the  use  of  but  a  small  quantity 
each  of  varnish  and  oil  at  one  time,  I  resort  to  the 
following  means:  One  2  oz.  phial  is  filled  two- 

117 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

thirds  with  varnish;  one  2  oz.  phial  is  filled  two- 
thirds  with  boiled  oil.  Slightly  moisten  one  sur- 
face of  the  pad  with  oil,  (allowing  no  swimming 
whatever  of  either  oil  or  varnish,)  then  hold  the 
center  of  pad  over  the  mouth  of  the  varnish  phial, 
invert  the  latter,  then  rub  the  pad  on  the  wood 
with  a  circular  motion  to  avoid  sticking  and  conse- 
quent roughness  of  the  varnishing  surface.  The 
pad  should  be  firmly  held  and  with  the  end  of  the 
index  finger  pressing  down  upon  its  center.  When 
this  amount  of  material  has  become  spread  to  its 
limits,  then  return  the  phials  for  more  oil  and  var- 
nish, thus  continuing  until  the  surface  of  the  plate 
is  coated.  The  amount  of  material  used  for  one 
coat  may  appear  surprisingly  small.  It  is  small. 
It  ought  to  be  small.  It  ought  also  to  be  small  up- 
on the  exterior  surface  of  the  violin.  In  either 
case  I  only  use  sufficient  material  to  cover  the  wood. 
So  far  as  I  am  aware,  this  method  of  application 
commands  the  minimum  of  material  and  the  maxi- 
mum of  surface  perfection.  When  carefully  ap- 
plied, and  the  last  coat  becomes  dry,  then  do  final 
polishing  with  dry,  powdered  pumice  stone,  using 
a  fresh  pad  of  the  same  cotton  flannel.  Of  course  ex- 
perience is  necessary  for  skillfulness  in  this  work. 
I  have  placed  correct  details  before  erroneous  de- 
tails for  the  purpose  of  making  such  errors  stand 
out  in  glaring  colors.  To  crudity  in  application  of 
material  is  due  the  failure  at  my  first  attempt  to 
protect  interior  violin  surfaces;  and  to  the  same 
cause  is  due  varnish  phenomenon  No.  2  as  will  now 
appear. 

118 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

Varnish  phenomenon  No.  2  contributes  nothing 
to  the  value  of  the  violin,  and  nothing  of  interest 
to  the  violin  student  further  than  a  description  of 
erroneous  details  in  the  work  of  interior  surface 
protection.  Knowing  the  amount  of  prejudice  ex- 
isting towards  protection  of  any  kind  whatever,  for 
interior  surfaces  of  the  violin,  I  am  therefore  care- 
ful to  minutely  describe  both  the  correct  and  in- 
correct methods  of  applying  such  protection.  Af- 
ter ten  years  of  experience  in  this  work,  I  am  fully 
convinced  that  existing  prejudice  against  violin  in- 
terior surface  protection  is  due  to  erroneous  details 
in  application  of  protection  material.  As  an  argu- 
ment against  protection,  I  remember  hearing  that 
it  "sharps"  tone.  I  now  offer  evidence  that  such 
protection  may  be  applied  in  a  manner  causing 
"dead"  tone. 

[Than  the  violin,  I  know  of  no  historical  subject 
offering  greater  confusion  of  evidence.  For  some 
occult  reason,  the  violin  neither  seems  nor  sounds 
alike  to  two  different  persons.  This  fact  is  a  phe- 
nomenon without  explanation.] 

Rated  upon  tone  value,  the  violin,  in  which  var- 
nish phenomenon  No.  2  occurred  was  worth  $25. 
This  violin  had  been  used  five  years  at  the  time  I 
selected  it  for  application  of  interior-surface  pro- 
tection. For  access  to  its  interior  surfaces,  the 
sounding  board  was  removed.  No  preparation 
other  than  brushing  off  the  dust,  was  given  to  those 
surfaces.  Upon  them  I  poured  a  quantity  of  boil- 
ed oil  and  transparent,  tempered  copal  varnish.  I 
spread  these  materials  about  with  a  mop.  As  is 

119 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

well  known  in  housekeeping  physics,  the  mop  is 
caused  to  act  by  reciprocal  motion;  circular  motion 
being  employed  only  upon  parties  tracking  the 
floor."  Not  having  to  contend  with  the  latter  dif- 
ficulty, I  brought  my  mop  into  action  by  reciprocal 
motion.  Of  course  the  mop  "stuck"  at  each  re- 
verse of  motion,  while  I  "stuck"  to  my  job  by  pour- 
ing on  more  oil  and  varnish.  After  "mixing  it" 
thus  until  the  mass  looked  as  if  it  were  "laid  on" 
(oh!)  I  pronounced  those  surfaces  amply  protect- 
ed. My  glue  being  hot,  assembling  work  was 
quickly  accomplished.  Two  hours  thereafter, 
'  'quick  return  fever  germs  had  driven  me  to  insan- 
ity. That  'can't  wait"  feeling  soon  became  mast- 
er—I applied  the  bow. 

[Sheridan's  ride  to  Winchester— his  changing 
defeat  into  victory,  has  been  pictured  by  able  his- 
torians—even poets  have  tuned  their  lyres  to  the 
tatoo  of  his  horse's  feet.  Sheridan's  fame  spread 
around  the  world  in  a  few  hours.  In  my  case,  sev- 
eral years  elapsed  before  I  dared  look  into  the  face 
of  either  historian  or  poet.]  I  can't  say 
much  for  the  tone  of  this  violin.  Truthfully,  it 
has  not  any  tone  worth  mentioning.  Its  tone  is 
not  only  "dead"  but  'tis  "buried. "  The  only  value 
in  its  tone  is  an  example  of  how  not  to  do  interior 
surface  work  and  as  a  warning  against  quick  return 
fever.  To  apply  the  bow  before  protecting  mater- 
ial upon  either  surface  of  the  violin  plates  becomes 
dry  is  an  act  of  insanity.  Had  the  historian  re- 
ceived access  to  the  "sticky"  facts  clinging  to  the 
inside  of  this  violin,  then  the  violin  student  today 

120 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

would  be  reading  that  interior-surface  protection 
for  the  violin  is  a  failure.  Had  I  myself  abandon- 
ed effort  after  this  disaster,  I  would  now  believe 
that  such  protection  causes  "dead"  tone.  I  did 
believe  it  during  the  next  half-year.  Then  in  a 
moment  of  idleness  I  picked  up  this  discarded  vio- 
lin and  again  applied  the  bow.  Surprise  was  lying 
in  wait  for  me.  In  the  qualities  of  intensity  and 
brilliance,  its  tone  now  surpassed  former  rating. 
Quickly  I  again  removed  the  sounding-board. 

You  who  have  read  the  description  of  varnish 
phenomenon  No.  1  may  think  yourselves  prepared 
for  a  description  of  varnish  phenomenon  No.  2. 
Let  me  warn  you  that  you  are  not  pre- 
pared. You  remember  that  the  varnish  dis- 
turbance in  No.  1  took  the  form  of  crater-like 
openings.  Only  in  one  point  is  there  similarity  be- 
tween these  two  phenomena— both  are  located  up- 
on the  sounding-board.  As  I  view  this  fact,  it  af- 
fords further  proof  of  the  dominant  part  taken  by 
the  violin  sounding-board  in  the  production  of 
sound.  Both  of  these  varnish  disturbances  point 
to  greater  amplitude,  and  greater  power  in  sound- 
ing-board oscillation  as  the  cause  for  their  exist- 
ence. 

Varnish  phenomenon  No.  2  is  in  the  form  of  pen- 
dant drops,  and  hanging  from  the  inner  surface  of 
the  sounding-board  like  stalacities  from  the  dome 
of  Mammoth  Cave.  These  drops  are  not  found  ov- 
er the  entire  sounding-board.  They  only  exist  in 
the  central  area,  and  within  lines  drawn  over  the 
center  of  the  exits.  The  graduation  of  this  sound- 

121 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ing-board! is  2  and  8-10  mm  down  to  2  and  7-10. 
Why  these' tv/6  phenomena  vary  so  diametrically  in 
physical  appearance  is  beyond  my  understanding. 
From  this  crude  beginning  I  continued  until  feel- 
ing^that  defeat  is  turned  'into  victory.  In  the  ex- 
perimental stage  of  this  work  I  tried  various  sub- 
stances for-  interior  surface  protection.  One  of 
these  substances  or  combination  of  two  substances, 
although  discarded  as  valueless,  yet  possesses  in- 
terest because  of  showing  the  effect  upon  violin 
tone  from  bending  the  sounding-board.  This  mix- 
ture is  composed  of  boiled  linseed  oil  and  transpar- 
ent glue.  The  union  of  these  two  substances  is 
but  mechanical.  The  presence  of  oil  causes  flexib- 
ility in  the  mass  when  dry.  So  great  is  the  flexibil- 
ity that,  when  dried  in  thin  lamina,  they  may  be  in- 
definitely bent  upon  themselves  without  fracture.' 
Because  of  such  physical  quality,  I  gave  extended 
trial  to  this  mixture.  In  this  combination  the  pro- 
portipnate  quantity  is  25  drops  of  oil  to  one  fluid 
ounce  of  glue,.having  the  proper  consistence  for  be- 
ing applied  with  a  brush. 

There  are  two  .objections  to  this  mixture  as  a 

material    for   violin  interior-surface    protection. 

Either  of  these  objections  is  sufficient  to  condemn 

its  use  upon  the  vioffru-  •  First:    Moisture  from- the 

glue  is  drawn  into  the- wood.    Second:  ,  In  drying, 

this  mixture  shrinks  with  sufficient  power  to  bend 

the  sounding-beard.    By  repeated  coatings,   the 

-"cuppings"  of  the  sounding-board  may  be  deepen- 

.ed  until    arching   is    raised    1-4   inch.    With  the 

)•  sounding-board  thus  bent,   the  tone    undergoes- a 

122 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

a  surprising  change.  Such  changes  are  manifest- 
ed by  short  duration  and,  by  strident  quality,  (as 
the  croupy  voice, )  and,  by  increased  brilliance,  or 
distinctness  in  passage  played  rapidament. 

There  are  violinists  pleased  with  the  shortened 
duration  of  tone  from  the  bent  sounding  board. 
These  are  players  whose  forte  lies  in  rapidity  of 
execution.  As  is  well  known,  there  are  violins  on- 
ly producing  a  confused  jumble  of  sound  in  rapid 
passages.  Comparing  such  violins  with  those  hav- 
ing this  strident,  but  brilliant  tone  I  prefer  the  lat- 
ter. But,  the  strident  and  brilliant  tone,  by  no 
means,  compares  with  the  natural  and  brilliant 
tone,  as  I  view  this  matter.  The  strident  is  a  thin 
tone,  and  therefore  an  unnatural  tone. 

For  some  occult  reason,  different  violin  tone- 
tastes  more  nearly  approach  infinity  than  tone-tastes 
for  any  other  musical  instrument. 

My  amateur  violin-making  friend,  J.  D.  O'Brien, 
Pittsburg,  Pa.,  during  his  last  European  tour,  had 
the  pleasure,  or  rather  the  pain  of  seeing  five  worn 
out  Stradivari  left  in  care  of  Hammeg,  violin  mak- 
er, Berlin.  One  of  these  violins  was  once  present- 
ed to  Dr.  Joachim,  by  his  London  admirers. 

In  late  years  I  have  asked,  4  'Why  do  we  never 
read  of  the  worn  out  Amati,  or  the  worn  out  Gua- 
neri,  or  the  worn  out  Maggini,  or  even  the  worn 
out  Da  Salo?"  I  receive  no  answer  thereto.  Sup- 
position seems  to  be  the  only  source  for  an  an- 
swer. As  heretofore  stated,  that  sounding-board 
yielding  the  most  agreeable  tone  is  the  first  in  suc- 
cumbing to  the  disintegrating  forces  of  heat  and 

123 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

moisture.  Of  course  the  violin  yielding  the  more 
agreeable  tone  is  likely  to  receive  the  greater 
amount  of  use  in  any  given  period  of  time.  But 
alone,  legitimate  use  cannot  account  for  rapidity  of 
disintegration.  Were  my  name  Hammeg,  before 
one  hour  older,  those  worn  out  sounding-boards 
would  be  subjected  to  tests  for  density  of  hard 
fibre  and  connective  tissue  between. 

Today  I  entertain  conviction  that  every  worn  out 
sounding-board,  taken  in  time  and  given  correct 
interior-surface  protection,  might  have  retained  all 
original  tone- value  to  an  indefinite  period.  Upon 
this  point,  I  have  made  ample, 'practical  demonstra- 
tion, and  have  satisfied  myself  that  such  conclusion 
is  based  on  safe  reasons.  I  have  given  both  correct 
and  erroneous  details  for  interior-surface  protection 
that  you  may  satisfy  yourself  with  much  less 
trouble.  You  may  ask  yourself  the  question, 
"What  logic  is  there  in  protecting  one  surface  of 
violin  plates  while  leaving  one  surface  without  any 
protection  whatever?"  You  will  receive  various 
answers  to  this  question.  In  all  probability  you 
will  receive  positive  replies  from  parties  who  prac- 
tically know  nothing  about  this  subject  of  interior- 
surface  protection  for  violins,  that  such  protection 
locks  up  secretions  in  the  wood.  Certainly  it  does 
lock  them  up— that  is,  if  there  is  any  secretion 
therein.  If  you  have  read  me  closely,  you  observ- 
ed that  I  am  careful  to  repeat  the  fact  of  only  ap- 
plying interior-surface  protection  to  used  violins— 
violins  having  had  time  to  complete  the  process  of 
shrinking  after  leaving  the  builder's  hands;  and 

124 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES* 

that  I  am  careful  to  further  dry  out  the  wood  with 
artificial  heat  when  necessary. 

Should  you  do  interior-surface  protection  work* 
carefully  following  correct  details,  surprise  will  lie 
in  wait  for  your  bow.  Augmented  intensity  and 
brilliance  of  tone  will  be  something  new  to  your  old 
violin;  and,  if  its  tone  was  valuable  before  the  in- 
terior surfaces  were  protected  and  made  perfectly 
and  permanently  smooth,  you  will  enjoy  the  fact 
of  knowing  such  increased  tone-value  to  be  also 
permanent. 

Permanence  of  violin  tone-value  is  a  very  desir- 
able quality. 

It  is  yours  for  the  asking. 

Possibly  you  may  not  entertain  sentiments  iden- 
tical with  mine  regarding  the  inanity  in  certain 
statements  concerning  the  Cremona  violin  varnish. 
As  students  of  the  violin,  your  attention  has  been 
called  many  times  to  this  subject.  You  have  read 
of  it  in  books;  in  booklets;  and  in  periodicals;  even 
in  newspaper '  Interviews. ' '  Possibly,  such  reading 
did  not  make  the  same  impression  upon  you  as  up- 
on me.  Nothing  in  life  is  more  patent  than  the 
fact  that  mental  impressions  may  vary  as  the  num- 
ber of  minds.  In  early  life  I  read  something  about 
the  beauty  of  Cremona  violin  varnish.  I  then 
thought  the  writer  re  ally,  referred  to  gums  com- 
posing, the  varnish.  In  middle  life,  I  began  to  read 
that  to  Cremona  varnish  is  due  the  superiority  of 
Cremona  violin  tone.  In  advanced  life,  I  began  to 
read  that  Cremona  varnish,  in  some  way,  permeat- 
ed the  wood;  also,  that  Cremona  violin  varnish  sud- 

125 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

denly,  mysteriously,  disappeared  from  commercial 
channels.  Strangely,  I've  read  nothing  about  the 
disappearance  of  other  furniture  varnish.  Tis 
passing  strange  that  fate  should  select  violin  var- 
nish for  annihilation!  Beyond  all  degrees  of 
strangeness  is  the  fact  that  but  a  limited  number 
of  Cremona  violins  are,  or  ever  were  celebrated  for 
superiority  of  tone.  Pointing  directly  to  the  two 
most  famous  Cremonese  violin  builders,  Stradivar- 
ius  and  Joseph  Guarnerius,  reliable  "experts" 
have  said  to  me.  '  They  did  not  make  every  violin 
of  equal  tone- value. ' ' 

"Why  not?" 

They  had  access  to  Cremona  varnish! 

Really~we  may  now  expect  an  "interview"  from 
some  London  "expert"  (trade  promoter  rather,) 
wherein  he  states  that  Cremona  varnish  was  so 
dear  (oh!)  that  none  could  afford  to  use  it  except 
in  a  limited  way.  .  , 

Perhaps  he's  right. . 

The  use  of  a  varnish  which  soaks  into  the  wood 
must  require  a  lot  of  it. 

Italians  are  now,  and  for  a  long  time  have  been 
meritoriously  noted  for  superiority  of  color-sense. 
But,  even  in  violin  color-work,  they  did  not  make 
all  violins  equally  beautiful.  I  by  no  means  pose 
as  a  color  artist,  but,  from  my  experience  in  color- 
work  upon  wood,  I  am  confident  that  no  one  can 
make  what.is  called  a  beautiful  violin  without  hav- 
ing beautiful  wood  as  a  pre-requisite.  Even  then 
failure  is  easy.  Six  times  have  I  removed  color- 
work  from  a  single  violin  before  finding  the  right 

126 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

combination  to  match  that  particular  sample  of 
wood;  and  a  long  interval  may  elapse  before  that 
combination  will  be  equally  effective  upon  another 
sample. 

People  exclaim,  "What  beautiful  varnish!" 

The  beauty  is  not  all  in  the  gums. 

'Tis  all  in  the  combination  of  colors. 

Not  one  iota  would  I  subtract  from  the  rightful 
merits  earned  by  the  "old  masters."  Neither  can 
I  give  them  unearned  credit.  For  those  empty 
statements,  intended  only  for  "trade  promotion" 
in  Cremona  violins,  I  entertain  nothing  but  con- 
tempt. 

Doubtless  my  contempt  for  those  London  '  'inter- 
views" and  for  those  London  authors  whose  ani- 
mus is  plainly  "trade"  is  quite  paralleled  by  their 
contempt  for  the  Americans.  The  Londoners  es- 
timate of  the  Americans  is  clearly  shown  in  the  fol- 
lowing words  credited  to  Kipling.  'Twas  on  board 
a  sailing  vessel  from  Calcutta  to  London.  One  morn- 
ing, when  off  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  the  watch  re- 
ported being  passed  at  daybreak  by  the  largest  sea- 
serpent  on  record.  The  watch  stated  that  their 
attention  was  first  attracted  to  the  monster  by  a 
steam-like  hissing  as  it  came  up  under  the  lee 
counter.  Its  forked  tongue  was  eight  feet  long. 
Its  head  was  ten  feet  in  length  from  the  point  of 
the  jaw  to  the  single  fiery  headlight  eye.  Its  head 
was  carried  fifteen  feet  above  water.  Its  body 
was  longer  than  the  ship.  While  listening  to  this 
sailor  yarn,  a  New  York  newspaper  man,  busy 
with  pencil  and  note-book,  remarked  to  Kipling 

127 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

that  upon  arrival  at  London  he  would  report  this 
remarkable  incident  to  the  press.  "Don't,"  said 
Kipling.  "Why  not,"  replied  the  New  Yorker. 
"My  friend,"  replied  Kipling,  "let  me  tell  you 
something  which  you  don't  seem  to  know.  England 
was  gray  headed  before  you  were  born.  Keep  this 
story  until  you  reach  home. ' ' 

We  must  admit  the  truth  in  Kipling's  remark. 
England  does  hold  a  monopoly  of  gray  heads. 
'Twill  not  be  her  fault  should  a  single  gray  head 
ever  appear  in  any  other  country.  Something  ov- 
er a  hundred  years  ago  she  received  a  hint  from 
Americans  that  we  desired  to  live  our  natural  lives 
whether  or  not  that  life  might  be  long  enough  to 
reach  the  gray  head  stage.  From  signs  of  the 
present,  there  is  hope  for  us.  From  Portland  to 
Seattle,  from  New  Orleans  to  Duluth,  there  are 
those  who  no  longer  swallow  the  London  expert's 
"varnish  permeation-of- the- wood"  story.  Today 
the  London  expert,  "interviewing"  himself  bewails 
(!)  the  prohibitive  prices  for  the  few  old  violins 
permeated  by  the  lost  Cremona  varnish.  Judging 
by  the  past,  what  harm  in  prophecy  for  the  fut- 
ure? Entertaining  conviction,  I  confidently  pre- 
dict that,  within  the  present  century,  for  the  best 
violin,  Europeans  will  search  throughout  America. 

Why  not? 

Cremona  violins,  penetrated  by  varnish  applied 
only  upon  a  single  surface,  will  soon  be  out  of  the 
market.  It  is  certain  that  a  few  American  violins, 
penetrated  by  varnish  applied  to  both  surfaces, 
will  then  be  on  the  market.  Why  not  picture  de- 

128 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

scendants  of  the  present  London  expert  as  then 
interviewing  themselves  about  prohibitive  prices 
for  American  double-permeated  violins?  There  is 
one  American  gray- head  who  would  immensely  en- 
joy that  picture. 


129 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 
LECTURE  VIII. 

GENTLEMEN:  We  are  approaching  problems  in 
violin  tone  which  are  not  only  difficult  of  solution, 
but  are  also  difficult  of  enunciation.  Silently  I  sat 
at  my  bench  many  years,  thinking,  working,  but 
never  writing.  During  these  years  I  was  favored 
at  long  and  brief  intervals  only  by  the  companion- 
ship of  persons  who  cared  for  the  philosophy  in- 
volved in  violin  tone.  As  is  well  known,  much 
talking  on  any  subject  greatly  facilitates  the  selec- 
tion of  precise  words  to  make  our  meaning  stand 
out  in  a  clear  light.  Being  deprived  of  such  bene- 
fit, and  receiving  little  or  no  direct  benefit  from 
either  text-books  of  philosophy,  or  from  books  of 
general  reading,  I  therefore  find  this  task  of  precise 
diction  to  be  a  matter  of  difficulty.  My  age  and 
infirmities  also  handicap  my  pen.  Therefore, 
should  I  fail  in  the  matter  of  precision,  'twill  cause 
no  surprise  to  myself.  I  am  comforted  by  the  as- 
surance that  each  succeeding  generation  becomes 
brighter  in  intellect,  hence  more  capable  of  precis- 
ion in  enunciation  of  both  principles  and  solutions. 
Because  that  problem  in  the  arching  of  violin  plates 
securing  maximum  concentration  of  molecular 
movement  at  the  exits  is  abandoned  by  physicists 
as  insolvable,  by  no  means  do  I  lean  back  and  say 
that  this  problem  never  will  be  solved.  I  firmly 
believe  a  solution  for  this  problem  yet  will  be 
forthcoming.  To  deny  such  possibility  is  equally 
as  absurd  as  saying  that  the  violin  reached  perfec- 
tion 200  years  ago.  Within  my  observation,  violins 
are  made  today  of  greater  tone  power,  and  greater 

130 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

evenness  of  tone  than  at  any  other  period  in  violin 
history. 

[Galilleo  did  not  discover  the  Americas,  but, 
Galilleo's  enunciation  of  principles  made  their 
discovery  possible.  After  Columbus  had  demon- 
strated that  Galilleo's  principles  were  correct,  it  is 
related  that  a  vaporous  party  at  the  dinner  table 
jumped  up  to  remark  that  this  discovery  was  an 
easy  matter— any  one  could  have  made  it— nothing 
in  it  except  the  matter  of  sailing  west  until  stop- 
ped by  land,  then  sailing  back  again.  Calling  for 
an  egg,  Columbus  asked  each  person  present  to 
make  the  egg  stand  upon  its  smaller  end.  After 
all  had  failed,  Columbus,  striking  the  egg  upon  the 
table  with  sufficient  force  to  partly  crush  the  shell, 
made  the  egg  stand  firmly  upon  its  smaller  end. 
This  mythical  story  is  here  told  for  a  purpose. 

Should  I  succeed  in  even  cracking  the  shell  of 
some  difficult  problem  in  violin  tone,  then  that 
party  who  later  succeeds  in  making  such  problem 
"stand  on  end"  I  shall  designate  as  Columbus  if 
he  but  hints  that  my  name  is  Galilleo.] 

'Tis  well  enough  to  smile  while  having  a  chance, 
for  soon  we  shall  enter  a  territory _  wherein  dryness 
precludes  the  possibility  of  smiles.  After  crossing 
this  "dry  district"  we  will  try  to  find  moisture  for 
our  parched  lips  and  duly  celebrate  our  "passover." 

Uniformity  in  violin  tone- values  is  considered  one 
of  the  unsolvabe  problems.  We  can  truthfully  say 
that  this  problem  has  successfully  defied  solution 
during  400  years.  That  this  problem  ever  will 
be  solved,  we  can  only  hope.  In  attempting  a  solu- 

131 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

tion  of  this  problem,  I  accomplished  something,  but 
not  enough.  Only  in  a  limited  number  of  violins 
have  I  succeeded  in  securing  such  uniformity  of 
tone- values  as  to  prevent  me  from  determining  the 
tone  of  each  one  when  played  while  hidden  from 
sight.  In  this  respect,  violin  tone  is  as  the  voice  of 
singers.  Only  at  rare  intervals  do  we  hear  two 
singers  possessing  identical  vocal  qualities. 

In  the  solution  of  this  problem,  what  immeasur- 
able value  to  the  violin! 

Tis  a  value  defying  arithmetic. 

Feeling  certain  that  this  problem  is  of  interest  to 
the  violin  student,  I  therefore  describe  details  in 
my  work  for  the  production  of  uniformity  of  tone- 
values.  First,  I  select  violins  as  nearly  uniform  in 
dimension  as  possible.  It  is  at  once  apparent  that 
much  lack  of  uniformity  in  cubic  capacity  must 
defeat  uniformity  of  tone  qualities.  Thus,  when 
two  violins  vary  much  in  length  of  perpendicular 
air  columns  within  the  body,  it  is  a  difficult  matter 
to  bring  their  tone  to  uniformity  in  pitch. 

[I  do  not  mean  difficulty  in  tuning  the  strings  to 
what  is  called  "unison,"  but  do  mean  the  difficulty 
in  preventing  the  ear  from  distinguishing  the  pres- 
ence of  two  sounds  varying  in  tone-pitch.] 

Second,  I  select  violins  having  wood  as  nearly 
uniform  as  possible  in  maturity,  density,  and 
width  of  grain.  These  latter  points  exert  much 
influence  in  the  the  quality  of  violin  tone.  After 
thus  selecting  a  half-dozen  violins,  I  remove  the 
varnish  therefrom.  Such  removal  is  necessary  be- 
cause both  quality  and  quantity  of  varnish  operate 

132 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

to  raise  tone-pitch  and  to  diminish  volume  of  tone. 
These  violins  are  next  opened  and  necessary  work 
is  applied  to  their  interior  surfaces.  This  work 
may  vary  in  each  violin.  Some  of  them  may  need 
re-barring;  some  need  re-graduation;  some  need 
both  re-barring  and  re-graduation;  possibly  some 
may  need  heavier  linings  and  corner  blocks;  and  in 
all,  the  interior  surface  is  made  perfectly  and  per- 
manently smooth  by  means  of  elastic  varnish  ap- 
plied in  such  attenuation  as  is  only  possible  to  the 
'  'rubbing' '  process  previously  described.  Of  course 
in  the  re-barring  and  re-graduation,  account  of 
varying  degrees  of  density  in  sounding-board  fiber 
must  be  considered.  After  assembling,  comes  ad- 
justment of  the  finger-board.  Its  hollow  under 
surface,  beginning  at  the  base  of  the  neck,  is  made 
so  straight  that  the  straight-edge  touches  at  all 
points  in  the  length  of  the  hollow. 

[The  philosophy  for  thus  fashioning  the  under 
surface  of  the  finger-board  will  appear  later  in  the 
discussion  of  tone-modifiers.] 

The  under  surface  of  the  finger-board  is  placed 
at  a  uniform  height  throughout  the  half-dozen  in- 
struments. The  weight  and  density  of  the  finger- 
boards are  as  uniform  as  possible.  While  these 
violins  are  yet  in  "the  white,"  bridges  of  equal 
maturity,  density,  and  width  of  grain,  and  guage 
2,  six-strand,  hard-twisted  strings,  each  of  even 
diameter  are  adjusted,  and  the  preliminary  test  for 
uniformity  in  tone  values  is  made.  This  test  is 
made  prior  to  varnishing  the  exterior  surface  for 
the  purpose  of  retaining  the  opportunity  for  work- 

133 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ing  upon  such  surface  to  lower  the  tone-pitch 
where  found  necessary.  Thus,  after  applying  the 
bow  upon  each  violin,  I  select  one  having  an  aver- 
age tone-pitch—not  highest  nor  lowest  in  the  lot— 
then  raise  the  tone-pitch  of  those  below,  and  lower 
the  tone-pitch  of  those  above  this  selection.  In  the 
work  of  raising  tone-pitch,  I  now  have  three,  or, 
counting  varnish,  four  means  for  assistance,  thus: 

(1)  Enlarging  the  exits. 

(2)  Position  of  bridge. 

(3)  Position  of  post. 

(4)  Quantity  of  varnish. 

For  the  work  of  lowering  tone-pitch,  I  have  three 
means,  thus: 

(1)  Diminishing  sounding-board  thickness. 

(2)  Position  of  bridge. 

(3)  Position  of  post. 

[As  a  matter  of  fact,  a  fifth  means  for  raising 
tone-pitch  may  be  found  by  counting  diminished 
depth  of  ribs;  (See  Rule  VI)  but,  being  unncessary, 
work  except  in  extreme  cases,  I  do  not  here  find 
myself  compelled  to  employ  it.] 

The  philosophy  involved  in  this  work  of  lower- 
ing tone-pitch  is  reserved  for  a  later  date;  there- 
fore at  the  present  moment  it  is  sufficient  to  state 
that  after  the  tone-pitch  of  these  violins  becomes 
so  nearly  identical  that  my  sense  of  hearing  fails 
to  distinguish  the  pitch  of  one  from  another  when 
played  while  hidden  from  view,  they  are  then  dis- 
mantled and  varnish,  of  equal  quality  and  quanti- 
ty, is  applied  upon  the  exterior  surface  and  by  the 
"rubbing"  process.  When  again  ready  for  use, 

134 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

they  are  taken  to  the  open  field  for  their  intensity 
test  heretofore  described.  Before  giving  results 
of  the  long-distance  test  for  intensity,  (carrying 
power)  I  will  mention  the  fact  that  in  the  qualities 
of  tone-pitch  and  intensity  of  tone  is  shown  the 
nearest  proximity  to  equality  of  tone- values  in 
these  violins  as  now  prepared.  At  near-by  dis- 
tances there  is  yet  a  notable  difference  of  harmon- 
ics a  bassa  and  consonant  harmonic  overtones. 
Thus,  their  tone  varies  in  ' 'richness."  Again, 
there  is  a  difference  in  response  to  bow-pressure; 
and  particularly  observable  in  greater  or  less  dis- 
tinctness of  tones  played  rapidament. 

I  now  return  to  the  long  distance  test  in  the 
open.  Prior  to  the  herein  described  treatment,  the 
record  shows  intensity  of  tone  in  these  violins  as 
straggling  along  from  400  to  800  feet.  After  prep- 
aration, as  described,  the  record  shows  an  increase 
in  intensity  of  tone  up  to  1,100  and  1,200  feet,  av- 
eraging 1,175  feet— an  increase  of  80  per  cent  in 
distance;  and  an  increase,  in  uniformity  of  tone- 
value  upon  this  isolated  tone-quality,  of  62  per  cent. 

I  know  of  no  way  to  describe  precisely  the  per 
cent  of  increase  for  such  tone-quali- 
ties as  volume,  evenness,  richness,  freedom  from 
dissonant  overtones,  sympathy  in  concert,  response 
to  bow,  agreeability  of  double-stop  tones,  brilliance 
of  tone,  and  power  of  harmonic  tones.  In  a  gener- 
al way,  and  in  my  opinion,  the  latter  tone  qualities 
are  increased  equally  with  intensity,  and  in  the 
majority,  I  believe  the  per  cent  of  increase  to  be 
greater  than  the  increase  of  intensity. 

135 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

There  is  yet  another  tone-value  in  this  lot  of 
violins.  It  is  a  value  difficult  of  accurate  descrip- 
tion. I  refer  to  the  effect  produced  by  playing 
these  violins  in  unison.  I  believe  that  my  experi- 
ence in  listening  to  violins  thus  prepared  has  no 
parallel.  This  belief  causes  me  to  hesitate  before 
attempting  a  description  of  such  effect.  In  this 
description,  I  cannot  find  support  by  way  of  com- 
parison. I  am  obliged  to  find  words  descriptive  of 
a  new  impression  upon  both  the  sense  of  hearing 
and  the  sense  of  feeling. 

The  first  word  to  come  out  of  the  mist  is  solidity. 

When  saying  that  any  certain  object  is  "solid," 
we  mean  that  such  object  possesses  weight.  As  a 
rule,  the  word  solid  is  used  only  to 
describe  objects  which  can  be  seen.  Yet,  I  am 
inclined  to  use  that  word  in  describing  the  combin- 
ed tone  of  this  half-dozen  violins.  Certain  it  is 
that  while  listening  thereto,  and  while  at  a  distance 
of  more  than  1,000  feet,  I  seemed  to  feel  sound- 
waves striking  against  my  person.  As  you  remem- 
ber, the  long-distance  test  is  made  in  open  air, 
under  a  cloudless  sky,  winds  at  rest,  temperature 
from  70  to  90  degrees  Fah. ,  water  vapor  at,  or  be- 
low the  normal  point,  (never  above)  and  at  the 
hours  between  10  a.  m.  and  4  p.  m.,  (hours  where- 
in sound-waves  are  propagated  with  the  greatest 
difficulty  upon  any  given  date)  and,  upon  level 
ground,  and  with  no  surrounding  objects  capable  of 
reflecting  lines  of  molecular  movement.  Under 
such  circumstances,  you  at  once  observe  that  the 
position  occupied  by  these  violins,  during  such 

136 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

tone-test  is  at  the  center  of  a  circle  whose  radius 
is  greater  than  1,000  feet.  You  also  understand 
that,  under  the  above  conditions,  sound-waves  from 
these  violins  reach  the  periphery  of  this  circle  at 
all  points. 

I  fully  realize  at  the  present  moment,  that  my 
statement  concerning  the  "solidity"  of  the  tone 
from  these  violins,  prepared  as  herein  set  forth,  has 
no  corrobation.  I  therefore  ask  you  to  make  such 
trial  yourselves.  In  all  matters  of  practical  appli- 
cation to  violin  tone,  my  work  is  finished.  Your- 
selves, being  alive  to  the  fact  that  in  certain  con- 
ditions where  sound-waves  are  propagated  only 
with  difficulty,  and  knowing  the  complaint  of  not 
hearing  first-violin  tone,  will  take  up  this  work 
where  I  leave  it  and  demonstrate  its  value  in  both 
the  small  and  large  orchestra. 

In  this  work,  I  cannot  give  assurance  that  any 
one  can  succeed  without  experience.  As  I  glance 
backwards  at  the  years  I've  devoted  to  violin  tone- 
peculiarities,  and  note  the  difficulties  upon  either 
hand  of  the  violin-builder's  path,  I  am  constrained 
to  say  that  success  depends  largely  upon  experi- 
ence. The  spirited  horse  can  be  goaded  into  mad 
action  by  a  galling  ill-fitting  harness.  The  violin 
sounding-board  can  also  be  driven  into  mad  action 
by  an  ill-fitting  sound-post,  by  an  ill-adjusted  fing- 
er-board, by  an  ill  adjusted  bridge,  by  an  ill-assort- 
ed set  of  strings,  and,  by  a  worthless  bow. 

When  all  of  these  ills  combine,  imagination  fails. 

So  long  as  one-hundredth  of  an  inch  in  variation 
of  sounding-board  thickness,  in  string  diameter,  in 

137 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

bridge-thickness  and  position,  in  sound-post  thick- 
ness and  position,  in  area  and  position  of  exits,  in 
depth  of  rib,  in  diameter  of  bow-hair,  affects  violin 
tone,  so  long  will  success  defy  the  hand-ax.  Not 
more  can  a  carpenter  succeed  in  violin-making  than 
a  blacksmith  can  succeed  in  watch-making.  Do 
not  understand  me  to  say  that  a  carpenter  may  not 
become  a  violin  maker,  nor  that  a  blacksmith  may 
not  become  a  watch  maker.  That  is  another  prop- 
osition. But,  I  do  say,  emphatically,  that  both 
must  serve  an  apprenticeship. 

To  illustrate  the  truthfulness  in  the  latter  state- 
ment, it  is  necessary  only  to  call  up  a  single  diffi- 
culty encountered  by  the  violin  builder.  This  dif- 
ficulty lies  in  variations  in  sensitiveness  of  sound- 
ing-board wood.  These  variations  are  wide  enough 
to  cause  not  only  profound  surprise,  but  also, 
profound  disappointment.  I  know  of  one  sounding- 
board,  and  but  one  for  that  matter,  which  is  not 
affected  by  five  times  the  amount  of  varnish  neces- 
sary for  mere  protection.  Again,  I  have  handled 
sounding-boards  so  sensitive  that  but  a  single  atten- 
uated coat  of  varnish  plainly  caused  damaging  ef- 
fects upon  tone.  In  view  of  these  facts,  it  is  evident 
that  only  such  judgement  as  must  come  from  ex- 
perience can  secure  best  results.  My  experience 
causes  me  to  believe  that  every  good  violin,  built 
upon  hard-and-fast  rules,  is  but  an  accident. 

It  is  my  desire  to  be  of  assistance  to  all  such  as 
attempt  the  work  of  violin  tone-regulation.  To 
this  end,  I  can  think  of  no  way  more  effective  than 
pointing  to  such  facts  as  endanger  success.  'Tis  of 

138 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

value  to  know  how  not  to  do  .any  certain  kind  of 
work. 

In  the  matter  of  applying  protecting  material  to 
interior  surfaces  of  new  violins,  I  have  no  experi- 
ence to  offer.  In  my  judgement,  this  matter 
hinges  upon  the  degree  of  dryness  and  completion 
of  the  shrinking  process  existing  in  each  sample  of 
wood.  Manifestly,  it  is  inadvisable  to  hermetically 
seal  up  violin  wood  prior  to  the  completion  of  dry- 
ing and  shrinkage.  In  our  climate,  the  presence 
of  water  vapor  in  air.  operates  to  prevent  both  com- 
plete shrinkage  and  drying  of  wood.  When  sur- 
rounded by  water  vapor*  the  capillaries  of  violin 
wood  are  bound  to  draw  in  and  hold  more  or  less 
water.  It  is  also  manifest  that  the  presence  of 
water  in  the  capillaries  diminishes  resonance  of 
every  violin.  No  other  conclusion  is  possible. 
Again,  it  is  manifest  that  hermetical  sealing  up  of 
violin  wood  effectively  prevents  further  entrance 
of  water.  Thus,  violin  interior-surface  protection, 
aside  from  its  value  as  a  perfect  reflecting  medium, 
is  also  valuable  in  permanently  maintaining  reson- 
ance, c  I  repeat  the  statement  that,  prior  to  her- 
metical sealing,  violin  wood  should  be  absolutely 
dry  by  artificial  means.  In  our  climate,  we  may 
not  expect  absolute  dryness  of  wood  when  left  to 
nature.  Observation  of  unequal  shrinkage  in  vio- 
lin plates,  subsequent  to  leaving  the  builder's 
hands,  leads  me  to  the  opinion  that,  for  the  reason 
of  certainty  in  new  violins,  the  plates,  nearly  re- 
duced to  correct  thickness,  should  thereafter  be 
allowed  one  or  more  years  to  complete  the  process 

139 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

of  shrinkage  before  being  assembled. 

By  no  means  do  I  desire  that  you  understand  me 
as  advising  uninterrupted  effort  to  produce  violin- 
•tone  of  maximum  volume  and  intensity  of  tone.  The 
necessity  for  .violins  ,of  "big  tone"  only  exists  in  a 
limited  way.  The  total  number  of  auditoria,  creat- 
ing necessity  for  "big  tone,"  is  a  small  number  in 
comparison.  As  the  object  of  all  musical  interpre- 
tation is  the  pleasure  of  the  listening  ear,  it  there- 
fore follows  that  both  disagreeable  tone  quality, 
and  the  tone  so  feeble  as  not  to  be  heard  at  all,  de- 
feat the  object  of  musical  effort.  Thus,  the  mis- 
take of  employing  the  violin  possessing  "big  tone" 
for.  studio,  parlor,  or  the  small  auditoria  is  only 
parallelled  by  the  mistake  of  employing  the  weak 
tone  for  the  large  auditoria.  In  small  rooms,  the 
."big"  tone  is  painful;  in  the  large  room,  the  weak 
tone  is  disappointing.  This  proposition  has  two 
sides;  one,  aesthetic,  the  other,  "business."  It 
is  quite  safe  to  assume  that  all  patrons  of  music 
halls. expect  pleasure  from  first-violin  tone.  It  is 
also  quite  safe  to  assume  that  either  disagreeable 
first- violin  tone,  or  inability  to  hear  first- violin  tone 
operate  to  reduce  patronage.  In  this  matter,  the 
patron  is  nowise  to  be  blamed  for  withdrawal.  He 
•parts  with  wealth  for  expected  pleasure  and  finds 
but  disappointment. 

H  It  .is  evident  upon  either  hand  that  the  great  ma- 
jority of  violins  are  used  only  in  comparatively 
small  rooms;  In  view  of  this  fact,  'tis  wisdom  to 
build  and  tone-regulate  the  great  majority  of  vio- 
lins minus  maximum  volume  and  intensity 

140 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

of  tone.  To-day  the  skillful  violin  maker  can  come 
nearer  producing  violin  tone  "to  order"  than  at 
any  other  period. 

I  present  the  following  factors  as  proving  them- 
selves reliable  in  diminishing  both  volume  and  in- 
tensity of  violin  tone: 

(1)  Control  of  sounding-board  action  by  var- 
nish. 

(2)  Control  of  sounding-board  action  by  bend- 
ing. 

(3)  Control  of  sounding-board  action  by  thick- 
ness of  wood. 

(4)  Control  of  sounding-board  action  by  arch- 
ing of  plates. 

(5)  Control  of  sounding-board  action  by  the 
bar. 

(6)  Control  of  sounding-board  action  by  the 
post. 

(7)  Control  of  sounding-board  action  by  the 
bridge. 

(8)  Control  of  sounding-board  action  by  the 
finger-board. 

(9)  Control  of  sounding-board  action  by  the  di- 
ameter of  strings. 

(10)  Diminishing  volume  and  intensity  of  tone 
by  the  condition  of  interior  surfaces. 

(11)  2  Diminishing  volume  and  intensity  of  tone 
by  the  area  and  position  of  exits. 

(12)  ^Diminishing  volume  of  tone  by  the  depth 
of  ribs. 

Either  of  these  factors,  alone,  is  capable  of  pro- 
ducing perceptible  diminution  of  both  volume  and 

141 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

intensity  of  violin  tone. 

( 1 )  Control  of  sounding-board  action  by  varnish , 
in  all  cases  except  the  one  case  herein  mentioned, 
has  proven  to  be  possible,  and  quite  easy  of  accom- 
plishment. The  only  difficulty  that  I  have  found 
in  diminishing  volume  and  intensity  of  violin  tone 
by  means  of  elastic  varnish  was  wholly  due  to  in- 
herent variations  in  the  action  of  sounding-board 
wood.  These  variations  are  so  wide  as  often  to 
defeat  tone-regulation  by  "hard-and-fast"  rules. 
In  my  hands,  the  greatest  effect  from  varnish,  in 
controlling  sounding-board  action,  has  been  shown 
upon  wood  of  soft  fiber;  and  the  least  effect  has 
appeared  upon  wood  of  dense  fiber.  Thus,  in  the 
employment  of  a  certain  quantity  of  varnish  upon 
each  violin,  its  effect  upon  tone  varies  as  the  de- 
grees of  density  in  sounding-board  wood. 

I  have  not  found  that  any  amount  whatever  of 
varnish,  applied  upon  the  back,  operates  to  dimin- 
ish tone  in  any  degree  whatever.  On  the  contrary 
I  have  observed  a  slight  increase  in  tone-power 
from  heavy  coats  of  varnish  applied  upon  back 
plates  whose  thickness  had  been  reduced  to  that 
point  causing  tone-weakness.  Without  doubt,  any 
amount  of  varnish  increases  rigidity  of  violin  plates; 
and,  upon  the  sounding-board,  any  amount  of  var- 
nish also  operates  to  diminish  independent  action 
of  contiguous  fibers.  Thus,  varnish,  upon  the 
sounding-board,  operates  to  diminish  both  volume 
and  intensity  of  tone.  Often  have  I  observed  vio- 
lins having  greater  power  in  single,  than  in  double- 
stop  tones.  In  all  such  cases,  I  have  found  increase 

142 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

of  power  in  double-stop  tone  following  removal  of 
varnish  from  the  sounding-board.  To  demonstrate 
that  varnish,  upon  the  violin  sounding-board,  oper- 
ates to  diminish  both  volume  and  intensity  of  tone 
is  a  matter  easy  of  accomplishment. 

In  its  effect  upon  violin  tone,  varnish  possesses 
an  esthetic  side.  There  are  many  musicians  who 
prefer  the  natural  tone  from  untrammeled  wood. 
When  such  tone  possesses  beautiful  quality,  there 
can  be  no  objection  from  any  one.  The  beauty  in 
such  sound  is  impossible  of  enhancement  by  any 
means  known  to  me.  But,  herein  lies  the  difficulty. 
Inherent  capriciousness  in  the  action  of  sounding- 
board  wood  produces  tone  from  the  extreme  of 
beautiful  down  to  the  extreme  of  coarseness.  This 
matter  wholly  lies  in  the  domain  of  nature.  Man 
can  only  modify  it.  There  are  a  limited  number 
of  musicians  who  profess  pleasure  in  coarseness  of 
violin  tone;  but,  the  great  majority  prefer  such 
coarseness  to  be  modified  by  varnish,  and  content 
themselves  for  the  loss  in  volume  and  intensity  by 
the  loss  in  disagreeable  tone-quality. 

(2)  Bending  the  sounding-board  into  position  is 
a  powerful  factor  to  diminish,  not  only  volume  and 
intensity  of  tone,  but  also,  to  diminish  duration  of 
tone.  Violinists,  whose  forte  lies  in  rapidity  of  ex- 
ecution, are  sometimes  satisfied  with  the  shortened 
and  lifeless  tone  from  the  bent  sounding-board. 
The  influence  upon  volume,  intensity,  and  dura- 
tion of  tone  from  bending  the  sounding-board  is 
in  exact  proportion  to  the  degree  of  bending.  For 
diminishing  these  tone  qualities,  my  own  taste  does 

143 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

not  approve  of  the  bent  sounding-board,  because 
of  a  certain  "dead"  tone-quality.  I  prefer  to  di- 
minish the  area  of  the  exits,  while  leaving  the  ac- 
tion of  the  sounding-board  free;  thus,  preserving 
liveliness  of  tone.  The  difference  in  tone-value  is 
vastly  in  favor  of  the  latter  method. 

I  do  not  find  that  bending  the  back  into  position 
operates  in  any  degree  whatever  to  diminish  power 
of  tone;  but,  on  the  contrary,  bending  a  back  plate, 
already  too  light  in  wood,  increases  the  tone-pow- 
er. But,  such  increase  in  tone-power  does  not 
hold  good  indefinitely.  Here  is  the  reason.  Upon 
opening  the  violin  with  bent  back,  and  within  but 
a  few  years  after  leaving  the  builder's  hands,  I 
find  the  bending  transferred  to  the  sounding-board. 

This  result  might  be  expected  did  we  but  give  it- 
thought;  and  the  two  factors,  causing  loss  of  tone- 
power  to  accompany  such  transference  of  bending, 
might  also  became  apparent  with  thought.  The 
trouble  is  to  keep  up  to  the  point  of  hard  thinking. 
'Tis  exhausting.  Facts  are  easiest  made  known  by 
stumbling  upoir  them.  Stumbling  costs  nothing 
but  picking  one's  self  up,  and  remarking. 

(3)  Control  of  sounding-board  action  by  thick- 
ness of  wood  is  a  factor  of  great  importance.  This 
factor  has  received  more  attention  than  any  other 
single  item  in  the  list  of  violin  tone  modifiers. 
Only  the  effect  of  diminishing  volume  and  intensity 
of  tone  by  thickness  of  sounding-board  wood  will 
receive  attention. 

[Upon  a  later  occasion,  and  in  the  discussion  of 
maximum  evenness  of  tone,  this  important  tone- 

^  144 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

modifier  will  be  given  further  attention.] 

It  is  evident  that  the  thickness  of  the  violin 
sounding-board  must  be  governed  by  the  diameter 
of  strings  to  be  employed.  When  not  otherwise 
specifically  mentioned,  I  refer  only  to  guage-2 
strings. 

[As  previously  stated,  my  experience  compels 
me  to  the  belief  that  the  function  of  the  violin 
sounding-board  is  to  originate  those  sound-waves 
eventually  reaching  the  ear  as  musical  tone.  Pre- 
vious to  varnish  phenomenon  No.  1,  I  directed  work 
upon  the  back  plate  as  if  it  also  were  a  tone-pro- 
ducing agent.  To  such  work  I  now  attribute  ruin 
of  tone- value  to  a  number  of  violins.  After  confin- 
ing the  work  of  tonerregulation  wholly  upon  the 
sounding-board,  I  met  with  no  failure  attributable 
to  my  work.  By  placing  new,  strong  back , plates 
upon  violins  having  suffered  serious  injury  to  tone 
from  attempted  tone-regulation  upon  that  plate,  I 
succeeded,  to  a  satisfactory  degree,  in  restoring 
lost  tone- value.  I  do  not  wish  to  be  understood  as 
saying  that  loss  of  tone-value  may  not  also 
follow  erroneous  work  upon  the  sounding- 
board.  On  the  contrary,  I  do  say  that  that  tone- 
value  may  be  easily  lost  by  erroneous  work  upon 
the  sounding-board.  What  I  do  say  with  positive- 
ness  is  that,  after  confining  the  work  of  tone-regu- 
lation to  the  sounding-board,  I  met  with  vastly 
greater  success  in  securing  tone-value  in  such  tone 
qualities  as  intensity,  brilliance,  and  sweetness. 
Volume  of  tone,  at  nearby  distances,  I  could  ob- 
tain with  certainty  by  work  upon  the  back  plates 

145 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

alone;  but,  such  tone  invariably  fell  far  short  in 
the  long-distance  test  out  in  the  open;  whereas, 
with  a  strong,  unyielding  back  plate,  I  could  se- 
cure equal  volume  of  tone  and  vastly  greater  in- 
tensity and  brilliance  of  tone  by  work  directed  to 
the  sounding-board.  This  fact  I  have  demonstrat- 
ed by  many  repetitions  of  the  long-distance  out-of- 
doors  test.  As  previously  stated,  this  test  affords 
evidence  based  upon  actual  measurement,  in  lineal 
feet,  of  intensity  (carrying  power)  of  violin  tone. 
It  is  a  test  settling  this  question  beyond  the  shad- 
ow of  doubt.  ii , 

In  diminishing  volume  and  intensity  of  tone  by 
thickness  of  sounding-board  by  no  means  have  I 
found  the  same  difficulty  as  is  presented  in  the 
work  of  securing  the  maximum  of  those  tone  qual- 
ities. In  securing  the  maximum  of  volume  and  in- 
tensity of  tone,  the  work,  from  a  certain  point  of 
thickness,  must  proceed  with  caution  in  the  mat- 
ter of  measurements  of  thickness,  and  removal  of 
wood;  and  because  of  the  reason  that  in  every  sam- 
ple of  sounding-board  wood  there  is  a  certain  degree 
of  thickness  yielding  such  maximum,  and,  below 
this  degree  of  thickness  means  weakness  of  tone, 
whereas,  for  the  production  of  diminished  volume 
and  intensity  of  tone,  the  thickness  may  run  from 
16-64>  down  to  10-64,  or  even  lower  with  wood  of 
dense  fibre.  These  great  thicknesses  invariably 
operate  to  diminish  both  volume  and  intensity  of 
tone,  but  not  in  equal  degrees;  the  greater  diminu- 
tion appearing  in  volume  of  tone.  These  great 
thicknesses  also  operate  to  raise  tone-pitch. 

146 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

It  is  a  fact  in  my  observation,  that  every 
inherent  disagreeable  tone-equality  in  sounding- 
board  wood  developes  and  becomes  apparent  as 
thickness  of  wood  diminishes  to  the  point  produc- 
tive of  maximum  volume  of  tone.  I  regard  the 
knowledge  and  consideration  of  this  fact  to  be  of 
value  to  both  the  violin  builder  and  those  violin  us- 
ers who  prefer  quality  of  violin  tone  before 
quantity  of  tone.  In  my  observation,  there  are  many 
violin  users  who  entertain  such  preference.  It  is 
also  a  fact  in  my  observation,  that  for  all  occasions 
and  circumstances,  a  violinist  can  become  equipped 
only  by  having  at  command  a  number  of  violins 
possessing  varying  degrees  of  volume  and  intensi- 
ty of  tone. 

(4).  The  arching  given  to  violin  plates  defies 
the  pencil  of  that  physicist  who  would  write  down 
its  solution.  Yet,  'tis  an  easy  matter  to  demon- 
strate the  fact  that  such  arching  may  add  to,  or 
diminish  both  volume  and  intensity  of  tone.  I 
know  of  no  single  item  in  the  list  of  violin  tone- 
modifiers  affording  greater  interests  to  the  violin 
student  than  the  item  of  plate-arching.  In  practi- 
cal application,  there  is  no  diminution  of  interest 
from  the  perfectly  flat  plate  on  up  through  every 
degree  to  a  height  of  arch  equaling  1  inch.  Other 
dimensions  remaining  equal,  power  of  tone  increas- 
es, from  no  arch  at  all,  up  to  a  certain  height  of 
arch;  and  from  this  certain  point  on  up  to  that 
height  equaling  1  inch,  power  of  tone  steadily  di- 
minishes. Other  dimensions  not  remaining  equal, 
as  increasing  the  area  of  exits,  increasing  sounding 

147 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

board  thickness  together  with  an  increase  of  string 
diameter,  power  of  tone  may  follow  to  a  higher  de- 
gree of  arching  than  in  the  first  proposition. 

It  is  apparent  that  the  diameter  of  strings  may 
safely  govern  the  height  of  arching.  In  my  obser- 
vation, using  the  guage-2  string,  and  distributing 
the  arching  equally  from  either  end  of  the 
plates  to  the  position  of  the  bridge,  the  greatest 
volume  of  tone  is  reached  at  that  height  of  arch 
equalling  f  inch,  while  the  greatest  intensity  of  tone 
is  reached  at  that  height  of  arching  equalling  i 
inch.  I  desire  that  the  above  statement  be  taken 
with  the  understanding  that  the  area  of  exits,  in 
either  of  the  above  heights  of  arching  remains  pre- 
cisely equal,  and  that  such  area  is  neither  large  nor 
small,  and  that  the  width  and  length  of  the  body 
and  the  depth  of  ribs  be  not  greater  than  that  of 
"full  size";  also,  that  the  distance  between  the  ex- 
its, at  their  upper  extremities,  be  exactly  1  and  4 
inches.  These  conditions  are  absolutely  necessary 
in  determining  the  influence  of  arching  upon  vol- 
ume and  intensity  of  tone. 

-  I  present  this  violin  as  an  example  of  the  influ- 
ence exerted  upon  tone-power  by  plate  arching. 
You  observe  that  the  exits  are  of  medium  area;  and 
that  their  position  is>  neither  "high",  nor  "low." 
As  you  look  at  this  violin  in  profile,  you  observe 
that  its  waist  line  is  aldermanic;  that 
its  height  of  arch,  at  the  position  of  the 
bridge  equals  &  inch;  that  the  distribution  of  the 
arch  is  equal  from  the  ends  of  the  plates  to  the 
bridge;  that  the  quality  of  wood,  varnish  andwork- 

148 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

manship  is  good.  As  I  apply  the  bow,  you  observe 
that  it  has  a  tone-power  equalling  the  tone-power 
of  a  pewee;  and  even  that  tone  is  "all  inside". 

In  attempting  an  explanation  for  this  great  loss 
of  tone-power,  due  to  such  formidable  height  of 
arch,  we  are  left  with  nothing  but  supposition. 
We  know  the  fact,  but  positive  assertion  can  go  no 
further.  Although  knowing  mere  surmise  to  be 
uninteresting,  yet,  I'll  take  the  risk  of  presenting 
my  surmise  for  an  explanation  of  this  defiant  prob- 
lem if  you'll  not  charge  me  with  positive  assertion 
in  the  matter.  I  fully  understand  that  assertion, 
without  corroboration,  proves  nothing.  Therefore, 
I  begin  by  saying  thus:  I  think  loss  of  tone-power 
from  high-arched  violin  plates,  other  dimensions 
remaining  equal,  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  exits 
are  not  in  the  line  of  wave  sound  movement. 


"Well,  now  comes  the  defiance." 

If,  by  possible  means,  we  could  place  ourselves 
within  the  body  of  this  violin  while  the  bow  excites 
the  strings  to  action,  and  if  our  vision  were  quick 
enough  to  follow  the  line  of  travel  taken,  by  any 
single  wave-movement  as  it  originates  upon  the  in- 
terior surface  of  the  sounding  board,  then  we 
would  know  why  such  movement  indefinitely  con- 
tinues to  travel  "all  inside;"  then  we  would  know 
why  the  great  majority  of  such  movements  fail 
to  pass  out  through  the  exits  made  and  provided, 
especially  for  the  egress  of  sound  waves. 

I  can  safely  say  that  those  "if's"  have  used  up 
the  last  grain  of  plumbago  in  many  a  pencil. 

149 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 
LECTURE  IX. 

GENTLEMEN:  At  this  hour  the  presentation  of 
violin  tone-modifiers,  operating  to  diminish  volume 
and  intensity  of  tone,  is  resumed.  At  the  close 
of  the  preceding  hour  we  were  yet  considering  the 
great  influence  upon  tone  from  the  arching  given 
to  the  plates.  In  continuation,  I  present  this  violin 
as  another  example  of  arching,  which  invariably 
operates  to  diminish  tone-power.  As  you  view 
this  violin  in  profile,  you  observe  that  the  entire 
rise  of  the  arch  is  given  to  the  first  two  inches  at 
either  end  of  the  plate;  that  between  such  abrupt 
elevations,  the  plates  present  a  straight  line;  that 
other  dimensions  remain  as  usual.  Application  of 
the  bow  demonstrates  the  fact  that  the  tone-power 
of  this  violin,  while  perceptibly  greater  than  the 
tone-power  of  the  higher  arched  violin,  yet  lacks 
much  of  the  maximum.  As  I  view  this  model  of 
arch  for  violin  plates,  it  is  a  model  affording  but  a 
a  few  degrees  of  greater  tone-power  than  no  arch 
at  all.  Were  it  not  for  the  slight  concentration  of 
sound-waves  at  the  exits  due  to  the  lateral,  or 
cross-section  arch,  there  would  be  no  difference 
whatever  in  tone-power.  Thus  the  greatest  dim- 
inution in  volume  and  intensity  of  tone  due  to  arch- 
ing, other  dimensions  remaining  equal,  is  found  at 
the  extremes;  that  is,  the  perfectly  flat  plate,  and 
the  enormorous  arching  previously  indicated.  In 
stating  my  belief  concerning  the  cause  of  such 
diminution  of  tone-power,  I  acknowledge  inability 
to  furnish  proof.  Were  there  but  a  single  arch  in 
the  violin  plates,  the  proof  would  be  forth-coming 

150 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

in  but  a  few  moments.  Tis  the  presence  of  the 
lateral  arch  that  adds  complication  to  this  problem. 
With  but  the  greater  arch,  (from  end  to  end  of 
plates)  to  contend  with,  the  line  of  travel  followed 
by  sound-waves,  originating  at  the  sounding-board, 
could  be  accurately  traced  on  paper.  The  physical 
laws  explaining  sound-wave  movements,  are  easily 
comprehended.  > ; 

The  two  laws  concerning  this  problem  are:  (a) 
Sound-waves,  at  the  moment  of  origin,  travel  at  a 
right  angle  from  the  agent  producing  them,  (b) 
Sound-waves,  after  striking  a  reflecting  surface, 
travel  therefrom  at  an  angle  equal  to  the  angle  of 
incidence.  It  is  obviously  an  easy  matter  to  draw 
on  paper  a  line  at  a  right  angle  to  any  given  point 
upon  the  interior  surface  of  any  given  arch.  It  is 
also  obvious  that  a  line  of  sound-wave  movement, 
originating  from  any  point  on  the  arched  violin 
sounding-board,  will  not  strike  upon  the  back  at  a 
point  perpendicular  to  its  origin,,  but,  will  strike 
the  back  at  a  points  nearer  the  exits.  So  far  'tis 
.easy.;  but,  the  next  move  o£  the  sound-wave  is 
wherein  lies  the  difficulty.  'Tis  now  the  lateral 
arch  makes  its  presence  known.  'Tis  plain,  that 
rafter  striking  the  back,  the  wave  will  be  reflected; 
but,  in  what  direction  will  the  reflection  travel? 
It  is  the  intention  of  the  arches  to  direct  and  con- 
centrate wave  movement  at  the  exits.  It  is  also 
the  intention  to  place  the  exits  in  the  line  of  wave 
movement.  It  is  evident  that  such  intentions  are 
defeated  by  enormorous  degrees  of  lateral  arching, 
and  also  by  no  arching  at  all.  It  is  apparent  that 

151 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

when  no  arch  whatever  is  given  to  the  plates,  there 
can  be  no  direct  progression  whatever  of  wave 
movement  toward  the  exits.  Hence,  the  tone  from 
such  plates  is  diminished  in  power.  It  is  evident 
that  sound-wave  lines  of  travel,  within  the  high- 
arched  violin  are  directed  away  from  the  exits  to  a 
great  extent.  In  this  case  the  question  is, '  'Where 
should  the  exits  be  located?" 

[Inasmuch  as  the  violin  is  but  a  product  of  exper- 
ience, therefore  we  may  continue  expecting  violin 
tone-improvement  only  to  follow  experience.  With 
this  idea  uppermost  in  my  mind,  I  call  up  some 
experience  connected  with  a  barrel  of  new  cider 
inadvertently  left  out  in  the  hot  sunshine  dur- 
a  whole  day.  Being  employed  as  an  inspector  of 
this  particular  barrel,  and,  the  barrel  being  tightly 
closed  up,  I  directed  a  moderate  tap  from  a  ham- 
mer to  the  vicinity  of  the  bung;  whereupon,  and 
without  warning,  that  bung  flew  into  my  face 
aUegro  con  fuoco  et  cider-o-so. 

ftow  (vengefully)  I  do  suggest  cutting  a 
bung  hole  in  the  sounding-board  between  bridge- 
feet  as  the  proper  thing  for  all  violins  having  an 
aldermanic  waist-line.] 

(5)  Control  of  sounding-board  action  by  the 
bar  is  easy  of  accomplishment,  very  easy;  I  feel 
like  saying,  "Too  easy."  Experience  in 
wrestling  with  the  problem  of  the  violin  bar 
may  cause  equal  disappointment  with  experience 
at  any  other  "bar"  whatever.  In  either  case, 
"loading  up"  to^heavily  is  bound  to  prove  disap- 
pointing. The  violin  bar  is  a  powerful  factor  in 

152 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

modifying  G,  and  D-string  tone.  The  bar  may  be 
too  great  in  length,  too  great  in  thickness,  too 
great  in  depth,  and  of  too  great  density  in  fiber, 
and  too  light  in  mass.  The  G  and  D-string  tone, 
from  the  finest  sounding-board,  may  be  easily 
marred  by;  any  one  of  these  faults,  and  completely 
ruined  by  their  combination.  The  position  of  the 
bar  also  may  seriously  injure  G  and  D-string  tone. 

[Desiring  that  my  statements  carry  proof  with 
them,  and  also  desiring  that  benefit  may  follow 
such  statement,  I  therefore  call  up  the  case  of  a 
certain  violin  suffering  loss  in  tone-value  from  un- 
bearable "wolf"  on  open  G,  and  caused  by  mal-po- 
sition  of , the  bar.  This  violin  is  made  of  valuable 
wood,  and,  in  all  other  respects,  its  tone-value  is 
high.  Its  builder  is  A.  F.  Anderson.  In  my  opin- 
ion the  mechanical  work  on  this  violin  cannot  be 
excelled.  The  varnish  is  of  the  toughest,  and  most 
elastic  variety.  In  my  opinion, .  judging  from  the 
mal-position  of  tljs  bar,  and  the  graduation  of  the 
plates,  Mr.  Anderson  builds  violins  upon  hard-and- 
fast  rules.  As  Mr.  Anderson  is  a  high-class  work- 
man, therefore  it  is  hoped  #nd  expected  that  he 
will  be  pleased  at  having  an  error  pointed  out  in 
his  otherwise  faultless  work.] 

Details  are  premised  by  the  statement  that  I 
objected  to  opening  this  violin.  My  disinclination 
was  due  to  the  fact  of  uncertainty  as  to  the  cause  of 
this  '  'wolf' '  tone.  By  no  means  could  I  assume  a 
cure  in  this  case.  Never  before  had  I  encountered 
a  wolf  on  the  fundamental  tone  of  the  G-string  as 
an  isolated  tone-fault.  Many  times  I  had  been  suc- 
cessful in  driving  a  "pack  of  wolves"  from  violin 

153 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

tone,  but  "wolf"  in  an  isolated  tone  is  a  different 
proposition  for  solution.  Once  I  had  been  asked  to 
remove  "wolf"  from  the  E-string  of  an  old  violin. 
'Twas  a  case  of  "wolf"  on  g,  and  g  sharp  in  alt. 

This  old  violin  bore  ample  evidence  that  genera- 
tions had  devoted  their  time  to  moving  the  sound- 
post.  In  this  work,  the  right  edge  of  the  right 
exit  has  been  worn  away  i  inch;  and  both  plates 
were  bruised  in  a  circle  1  inch  in  diameter  by  the 
shifting  ends  of  the  post.  Not  being  able  to  de- 
termine the  cause  of  "wolf"  by  use  of  the  bow, 
I  removed  the  sounding-board.  To  all  appearances, 
the  workmanship  within  this  old  violin  was  fault- 
less. I  could  not  see  any  cause  for  "wolf;"  yet,  I 
positively  knew  "wolf"  existed,  and,  as  above  in- 
dicated. Being  curious  to  know  the  graduation  of 
this  sounding-board,  I  employed  the  calipers,  and 
thereby  found  reasons  for  "guessing"  at  the  cause 
of  "wolf"  tone  in  this  case.  Here  is  what  I  found 
by  the  use  of  the  calipers:  The  builder,  exercising 
the  extreme  of  caution  in  reducing  thickness  of 
wood  beneath  the  E-string,  had  gone  beyond  the 
limit  of  safety  in  such  work;  but,  only  a  very  little 
beyond.  Under  such  meteoric  conditions  as  here- 
tofore have  been  carefully  and  repeatedly  describ- 
ed, the  intensity  of  tone,  belonging  to  the  E-string 
of  this  violin  surpasses  all  other  E-strings  which  I 
have  subjected  to  the  out-of-doors  test.  The  tone 
of  this  E-string  carried  to  the  great  distance  of 
1480  lineal  feet. 

[Bear  in  mind  those  meteoric  conditions,  because 
a  change  in  the  single  item  of  greater  amount  of 

154 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

water  vapor  present  at  the  moment  of  making  the 
long  distance,  out-of-doors  test,  might  double,  and 
even  quadruple  this  distance.] 

The  greater  power  of  tone  possessed  by  this  E- 
string  concentrates  interest  in  two  factors. 

(a)  Graduation  of  sounding-board  beneath  the 
E-string. 

(b)  Enlargement  of  the  area  of  the  right  exit. 
Briefly,  I  will  describe  the  graduation   beneath 

this  E-string:  At  the  position  of  the  bridge,  thick- 
ness equals  7-64  inch;  thence  gradually  diminishing 
down  to  4-64  at  a  point  half-way  from  the  bridge 
to  the  upper  end  of  the  plate;  from  this  point  to 
the  end  of  the  plate,  thickness  gradually  increases 
to  9-64.  Evidently,  this  form  of  sounding-board 
results  in  the  production  of  two  tapering  springs 
between  the  bridge  and  the  upper  end  of  the  plate. 
Practically,  these  tapering  springs  are  attached  to 
each  other  at  their  thinner  extremities.  It 
is  evident  that  the  spring  farthest  from  the  bridge 
is  the  stronger.  It  is  well  known  that  the  stronger 
spring  acts  with  greater  rapidity  than  the  weaker 
spring.  It  is  evident  thdt  action  of  either  of  these 
two  springs  must  excite  action  in  the  other  spring. 
Because  of  differing  degrees  of  thickness,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  such  action  must  vary  in  numbers  per 
second;  therefore,  these  two  springs,  striking  upon 
contained  air  at  differing  number  of  blows  per  sec- 
ond, produce  two  simultaneous  tones;  and,  these 
two  tones,  being  pitched  at  inharmonious  keys,  op- 
erate to  produce  "wolf."  There  are  two  methods 
available  for  remedy:  (a).  Equalizing  spring 

155 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

action  by  reducing  thickness  of  the  stronger 
spring,  (b).  Equalizing  spring-action  by  short- 
ening the  weaker  spring.  Because  of  the  danger 
of  weakening  tone-power  by  the  first  method, 
therefore  I  chose  the  second.  Should  the  second 
method  prove  unsuccesssul  then  I  would  know  the 
necessity  for  employing  the  first.  But,  the  second 
method  proved  successful.  Practical  application 
of  the  second  method  consisted  in  gradually  mov- 
ing both  the  bridge  and  sound-post  upward,  or  for- 
ward. A  curious  phenomenon  appeared  upon  E- 
string  tone  as  the  bridge  and  post  approached  their 
final  resting  place.  That  phenomenon  was  present- 
ed by  shifting  of  the  "wolf"  from  g,  and  g  sharp 
to  g  sharp  and  a,  thence,  to  a  and  b  flat,  and,  at  the 
next  move  the  "wolf"  disappeared. 

[Enlargement  of  the  right  exit  in  this  violin,  not 
being  in  point,  need  receive  no  further  notice  at 
this  moment.] 

I  return  to  the  Anderson  violin. 

Upon  opening  this  violin,  the  cause  for  "wolf" 
was  not  apparent  at  the  first  glance.  Without 
employment  of  the  calipers,  I  could  determine  that 
graduation  of  the  sounding-board  was  not  the 
cause;  yet,  upon  the  sounding-board  must  the  cause 
be  found.  While  looking  at  the  interior  surface, 
and  feeling  quite  uncertain  of  success  in  this  case, 
I  noticed  an  unusual  obliquity  in  position  of  the 
bar. 

[Sometimes  the  doctor's  diagnois  of  an  obscure 
malady  must  depend  upon  negation;  'tis  not  this, 
nor  that,  nor  the  other,  and  so  on  by  exclusion  un- 

156 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

til  there  remains  but  few,  or  but  a  single  probable 
cause.  But  to  the  doctor,  there's  a  difference  be- 
tween the  fiddle  patient  and  human  patient.  In 
presence  of  the  former,  the  doctor  need  not  trouble 
himself  to  "look  wise."] 

By  measurements,  I  found  that  the  upper  end  of 
this  bar  crossed  the  line  of  the  G-string,  crossed 
the  line  of  the  D-string,  and  reached  a  point  be- 
tween the  D  and  A-strings.  Because  of  not  find- 
ing any  other  detail  appearing  as  a  probable  cause 
for  "wolf"  upon  open  G,  I  therefore  removed  this 
bar  and  placed  another  bar  with  the  center  of  its 
thickness  directly  beneath  the  center  of  the  left 
bridge-shank,  and  with  an  obliquity  equaling  obliq- 
uity of  the  G-string,  not  greater  nor  less. 

When  again  in  playing  order,  there  was  no 
"wolf"  whatever  upon  any  string. 

In  attempting  an  explanation  for  this  case  of 
"wolf,"  I  can  submit  nothing  more  than  an  opin- 
ion. Thus:  Believing  that  certain  sounding-board 
fibers,  beneath  each  string,  act  to  produce  all  pos- 
sible tones  upon  each  string,  therefore,  in  this 
case,  I  think  the  great  obliquity  of  the  bar  caused 
"wolf "  upon  the  open  G  tone,  and  my  reasoning 
is  as  follows:  The  graduation  of  this  sounding- 
board,  being  a  modification  of  Stainer,  therefore 
greatest  thickness  was  at  the  position  of  the  bridge, 
and  thence  thickness  diminished  down  to  4-64  at 
all  points  near  the  edges  and  at  the  ends  of  the 
plate.  Thickness  at  the  bridge  equaled  10-64. 
Therefore  the  thinnest  part  of  this  sounding-board, 
beneath  the  G-string,  lay  above  the  bar;  not  above 

157 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

the  upper  end  of  the  bar,  the  upper  end  of  the  bar 
lay  at  a  point  between  the  D  and  A-strings.  Bear- 
ing in  mind  the  great  obliquity  of  this  bar,  it  is 
evident  that  sounding-board  fibers  beneath  both  G 
and  D-strings  are  shortened  from  left  to  right. 
Thus,  the  longer  fibers  are  beneath  the  G,  the 
shorter  fibers  are  beneath  a  point  between  D  and 
A.  It  is  evident  that  when  these  varying  lengths 
of  sounding-board  fibers  are  aroused  to  action 
producing  sound,  that  there  must  be  more  than  one 
sound,  or  one  tone.  I  know  no  way  to  determine 
the  exact  number  of  these  sounds.  I  surmise  that 
some  of  them,  being  at  an  inharmonious  pitch  with 
open  G,  operated  to  produce  "noise,"  or  "wolf" 
tone  thereon. 

The  cure  was  complete. 

In  my  experience,  increasing  the  length  of  the 
bar  beyond  10£  inches  operates  to  diminish  tone- 
power,  also,  to  diminish  duration  of  tone.  This 
statement  is  made  with  the  understanding  that  the 
amount  of  wood  in  both  bar  and  sounding-board 
has  been  accurately  adjusted  for  the  production  of 
the  maximum  of  tone-power.  Keeping  this  fact 
in  view,  I  state  that  shortening  the  bar,  other  di- 
mensions remaining  equal,  operates  to  lower  tone- 
pitch,  to  increase  volume  of  tone,  and  to  diminish 
intensity  of  tone;  also,  conditions  as  above,  adding 
to  either  thickness,  or  depth  of  bar,  operates  to 
raise  tone-pitch  and  to  diminish  tone-power.  The 
position  of  the  bar  may  operate  to  increase  tone- 
power  of  the  G-string,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to 
diminish  tone-power  of  the  D-string.  Thus,  when 

158 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

the  distance  between  the  upper  end  of  the  exits 
equals  1  and  5-8  or  1  and  11-16,  then,  placing  the 
left  side  of  the  bar  flush  with  upper  end  of  the  ex- 
it operates  to  increase  G-string  power  while  dimin- 
ishing power  of  the  D-string. 


159 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIAKITIES. 
LECTURE    X. 

GENTLEMEN:  There  are  violin  users  who  prefer 
such  unequal  tone-power.  It  is  my  experience  that 
too  great  prominence  of  G-string  tone  is  not  most 
agreeable  to  the  listening  ear,  especially  when  ap- 
pearing upon  the  solo  violin.  I  deem  this  point  to  be 
of  sufficient  importance  to  warrant  repetition  of  a 
previous  statement  that  the  beautiful  harmony  from 
evenly  balanced  strings,  played  in  double-stops,  is 
the  chiefest  attraction  in  solo  violin  music. 

(6) .  The  post  is  at  once  the  most  aggravating, 
powerful,  indispensable,  innocent  appearing  thing 
within  or  without,  around  or  about  the  violin.  It 
does  not  fall  down  so  often  as  it  makes  us  fall 
down.  Had  it  but  ability  to  laugh,  'twould  be  the 
chief  "monkey."  To  the  violin  user,  the  post  is 
the  chief  object  of  solicitude.  Its  power  for  good 
is  angelic.  Its  power  for  evil  is  Satanic.  Can  this 
innocent-appearing  thing  command  the  power  to 
diminish  both  volume  and  intensity  of  violin  tone? 

Let  it  but  fall  down there  you  are!  Because  I 

enjoy  frequent  shots  at  this  angel-imp,  therefore, 
as  a  subject,  it  will  not  be  exhausted  at  once.  At 
this  moment  I  will  call  up  but  three  points  connect- 
ed with  the  post  which  operate  to  diminish  volume 
and  intensity  of  tone: 

(a) .    Mass  of  post. 

(b) .     Position  of  post. 

(c) .    Length  of  post. 

In  the  ordinary  condition  of  the  right  exit,  the 
greatest  effect  upon  volume  and  intensity  of  tone, 
due  to  mass  of  post,  cannot  be  demonstrated.  En- 

160 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

largement  of  this  exit  affords  an  opportunity  for 
entrance  of  a  post  having  great  mass.  Although 
mass  of  post  does  not  diminish  tone-power  to  the 
same  degree  produced  by  some  other  factors,  yet, 
such  diminution  is  perceptible.  I  know  of  no  hard- 
and-fast  rule  governing  the  mass  of  post.  Like 
many  other  factors  affecting  violin  tone,  that  mass 
of  post  which  is  best  for  each  violin  can  only  be 
determined  by  trial. 

(b).  Position  of  post  exerts  greater  influence 
upon  tone-power  than  mass  of  post;  that  is,  upon 
any  mass  which  I  have  tried.  In  early  life  I  re- 
member reading  that  the  proper  position  for 
the  post  is  i  inch  below  the  right  foot  of  the  bridge. 
In  later  life  I  learned  to  unlearn  that  lesson.  I  had 
to  learn  that  the  position  for  the  post  varies  as  the 
variations  in  sounding-board  rigidity.  All  effects 
upon  tone,  due  to  the  post,  are  manifested  princi- 
pally upon  the  A  and  E-strings;  and  such  effects 
may  be  largely  directed  upon  either  of  these  strings 
by  position  of  the  post.  When  that  position  is 
found  which  equally  supports  the  A  and  E-strings, 
then,  moving  the  post  to  the  left  operates  to  di- 
minish the  tone-power  of  the  E;  and,  per  contra, 
moving  the  post  to  the  right,  diminishes  tone-pow- 
er of  A.  Again,  moving  the  post  downwards,  oper- 
ates to  diminish  tone-power  of  both  A  and  E. 
Again,  placing  the  post  above  the  bridge  operates 
to  diminish  tone-power  of  the  A  and  E-strings  in 
an  amount  equal  to  the  re-inforcement  due  to  sym- 
pathetic action  between  these  strings  and  that  part 
of  the  sounding-board  beneath  them.  Placing  the 

161 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

post  above  the  bridge  operates  to  transfer  sound- 
ing-board action  to  the  lower-half  of  the  sounding- 
board;  per  contra,  placing  the  post  below  the 
bridge  operates  to  cause  sounding-board  action  in 
the  upper-half.  I  desire  to  be  understood  as  refer- 
ring only  to  that  sounding-board  action  aroused  by 
action  of  the  A  and  E-strings;  also,  that  in  either 
of  these  two  positions  for  the  post  there  is  no  per- 
ceptible change  produced  in  the  tone  of  the  G  and 
D-strings. 

[Upon  a  later  occasion  will  appear  a  practical 
demonstration  for  the  fact  that  the  lower,  right- 
quarter  of  the  sounding-board  does  not  act  to  pro- 
duce sound-waves  when  the  post  is  placed  below 
the  right  foot  of  the  bridge.] 

Placing  the  post  directly  beneath  the  right  foot 
of  the  bridge  operates  to  diminish  tone-power.  In 
this  position  of  the  post,  it  is  evident  that  a  blow 
from  the  strings  is  expended  equally  upon  both 
plates;  yet,  as  I  view  this  matter,  the  sounding- 
board  continues  to  strike  the  greater  blow  upon 
contained  air  because  of  its  greater  proximity  to  the 
strings.  This  view  is  based  upon  the  fact  that 
sympathetic  action  diminishes  as  the  square  of 
the  distance,  or  stated  in  the  reverse  way,  proxim- 
ity augments  sympathetic  action. 

[To  the  violin  tone-regulator  there  are  experi- 
ences with  humanity  that  possess  more  than  pass- 
ing interest.  Indeed,  some  of  those  experiences 
leave  an  impression  upon  memory  equally  as  unfad- 
ing as  the  impression  on  "burnt  wood."  Thus: 
After  you  have  carefully  adjusted  sounding-board 

162 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

thicknesses  to  respond  to  the  action  of  the  guage-2 
strings,  after  the  interior  surfaces  are  carefully 
prepared,  after  the  area  of  exits  has  received  at- 
tention, after  the  finger-board  has  been  carefully 
prepared  and  adjusted,  after  selecting  and  testing 
different  densities  in  different  bridges,  after  select- 
ing the  choicest  strings,  after  determining  the  ex- 
act position  for  bridge  and  post,  after  testing  the 
tone  for  evenness  of  power  in  two  octaves  on  each 
string,  testing  quality  of  double-stop  tones,  testing 
brilliance  of  tone,  testing  pizzicato  tones,  testing 
harmonics  simple,  harmonics  melodic,  harmonics  a 
bassa,  after  pronouncing  your  work  completed  to 
the  limit  of  your  ability: 

Enter  Mr.  Addlepate. 

(Mr.  A.)  "I'm  looking  around  for  a  first-class 
violin  for  my  own  use.  Didn't  know  but  I  might 
find  one  at  your  place." 

Rather  confidently,  you  place  in  his  hands  a  com- 
pleted violin,  telling  him  that  this  one  is  about  as 
good  as  you  can  turn  out. 

(Mr.  A.)  "May  I  take  it  home  and  try  it?  I'll 
take  good  care  of  it." 

"Certainly." 

After  a  month  or  two,  re-enter  Mr.  A. 

(Mr.  A.)  "Say,  this  violin  hasn't  got  just  the 

tone  I'm  wanting think  Sam  Jones  has  got  one 

a  little  better'n  yours." 

As  you  glance  at  that  violin  your  breath  makes 
a  gasp.  Your  carefully  adjusted  sound-post  is 
gone.  Standing  in  toward  the  center,  and  leaning 
backward,  is  a  white-oak  post,  whittled  down  with 
a  dull  jack-knife;  a  deep  notch  is  cut  around  near 

163 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

the  upper  end;  in  that  notch  is  a  doubled-and-twist- 
ed  dirty  cotton  string  tied  fast  with  a  square  knot; 
either  end  of  the  string,  passing  out  through  either 
exit,  is  carried  around  behind  the  back,  there  tied 
in  a  bow  knot;  thence  hangs  1-4  yard  of  festoon. 

"What  makes  you  gasp  so?" 

"Can't  be  that  white-oak  post?" 

"N-n-o!" 

"Possibly  'tis  that  festoon?" 

Under  such  provocation,  there  is  but  one  way  to 
manifest  patriotism.  That  one  way  consists  in  di- 
recting an  enthusiastic  kick  to  the  seat  of  Mr.  Ad- 
dlepate's  understanding.  You  can't  miss  it.] 

(c).  Length  of  post,  when  so  great  as  to  bend 
the  sounding-board  upward,  diminishes  volume  and 
duration  of  A  and  E  tone,  but,  does  not  diminish 
intensity -in  an  equal  degree.  In  fact,  the  post  of 
too  great  length  frequently  operates  to  increase  in- 
tensity of  tone  from  these  strings.  Such  augment- 
ed intensity  of  A  and  E-string  tone  is  considered 
valuable  by  some  violin  users,  especially  by  first- 
violin  players  in  positions  where  sound-waves  are 
propagated  only  with  difficulty.  The  post  of  great 
length  also  operates  to  diminish  power  of  G  and  D- 
string  tone. 

Thus,  the  post  manifests  its  power  for  good  and 
for  evil. 

(7. )  The  bridge  is  a  powerful  factor  in  dimin- 
ishing both  volume  and  intensity  of  tone;  but,  its 
greatest  influence  is  manifested  upon  volume.  The 
bridge  possesses  seven  features  of  vast  interest  to 
the  violin  student: 

164 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

(a).     Height. 

(b).     Thickness. 

(c) .    Span  between  shanks,  or  pedestals. 

(d).     Density  of  fiber. 

(e) .     Scroll  work. 

(f).     Maturity  of  wood. 

(g) .    Position  upon  the  sounding-board. 

(a) .  Height  of  bridge  may  be  either  so  high,  or 
so  low  as  to  diminish  both  volume  and  intensity  of 
tone.  The  problem  of  the  bridge  I  am  unable  to  solve 
without  a  partial  solution  for  the  finger-board 
problem.  For  the  sake  of  clearness,  it  is  first  nec- 
essary to  consider  the  finger-board  insofar  as  prox- 
imity to  the  sounding-board  is  concerned.  If  the 
finger-board  did  not  extend  over  the  sounding- 
board,  then  the  problem  of  bridge-height  could  be 
solved  by  itself.  That  part  of  the  finger-board  ex- 
tending over  the  sounding-board,  may  operate  to 
diminish  both  volume  and  intensity  of  tone.  This 
fact  can  be  easily  demonstrated.  Thus:  Upon  a 
violin,  having  a  height  of  arch  equaling  f  inch, 
lowering  the  finger-board  down  to  |  inch  from  the 
sounding-board  causes  a  weak  and  thin  tone,  even 
with  a  corresponding  diminution  of  bridge-height. 
As  I  view  this  phenomenon,  the  reason  for  such 
loss  of  tone-power  is  as  follows:  Lowering  the 
finger-board  brings  its  surface  line  nearer  to  a  par- 
rallel  with  the  line  of  the  sounding-board.  It  is 
apparent  that,  were  these  two  lines  perfectly  par- 
allel, then  all  sound-waves,  originating  beneath  the 
finger-board,  would  be  reflected  directly  back  upon 
the  sounding-board;  and,  because  of  only  traveling 

165 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

a  short  distance,  those  reflected  sound-waves  must 
strike  upon  the  sounding-board  with  their  initial 
force;  a  force  great  enough  to  diminish  the  ampli- 
tude of  sounding-board  oscillation.  It  is  apparent 
that  such  diminished  amplitude  operates  to  dimin- 
ish the  force  of  succeeding  blows  delivered  by  the 
sounding-board  upon  contained  air.  Hence  the 
loss  of  tone-power. 

The  problem  of  the  finger-board  involves  the  line 
of  its  under  surface,  and  the  placing  of  such  line 
at  the  nearest  distance  from  the  sounding-board 
possible  while  preventing  the  reflected  sound-waves 
from  striking  upon  the  sounding-board  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  diminish  amplitude  of  its  oscillation. 

As  previously  stated,  I  find  the  best  lines  on  the 
under  surface  of  the  finger-board  to  be  a  straight 
line  at  the  bottom  of  the  hollow,  and  that  the  hol- 
low extends  well  towards  the  base  of  the  neck. 
The  latter  point  should  be  governed  by  the  gradu- 
ation of  the  sounding-board,  and  the  arching. 
Thus,  when  the  graduation  places  the  thinnest  part 
of  the  sounding-board  at  a  point  half  way  from  the 
position  of  the  bridge  to  the  upper  end  of  the  plate, 
then  the  hollow  of  the  finger-board  must  not  extend 
to  the  base  of  the  neck,  but  should  extend  to  a 
point  2  inches,  or  slightly  more,  from  the  base. 

[Upon  a  later  date  this  form  for  the  under  sur- 
face of  the  finger  board,  together  with  this  form 
for  sounding-board  graduation,  slightly  modified, 
will  be  described  in  the  production  of  maximum 
tone-power.] 

It  is  plainly  apparent  that  the  set  of  the  neck 

166 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

may  operate  to  place  the  finger-board  near  to,  or 
distant  from  the  sounding-board.  It  is  also  appar- 
ent that  when  the  point  of  widest  sounding-board 
oscillation  is  nearer  to  the  end  of  the  plate,  the 
greater  must  be  the  distance  to  the  under  surface 
of  the  finger-board,  because  the  longer  the  hollow, 
the  less  the  obliquity  of  the  line  of  the  hollow, 
the  more  direct  the  return  of  sound-waves  to 
the  sounding-board. 

There  yet  remains  consideration  of  the  high- 
arched  plates.  In  these  cases,  the  under-surface 
line  of  the  finger-board,  and  its  distance  from  the 
sounding-board  must  be  quite  the  reverse;  the  low- 
er end  of  the  finger-board  must  approach  much 
nearer  the  sounding-board,  while  the  under  surf  ace 
should  be  flat.  At  first  thought,  these  facts 
seem  incredible.  I  confess  to  astonishment  when 
first  seeing  and  playing  upon  a  Carl  Johann  Flick- 
er. As  you  know,  this  violin  is  built  upon  enorm- 
orous  waist-lines.  The  hollow  at  the  lower  end  of 
the  finger-board,  (guessing  at  it)  was  less  than  i 
inch  distant  from  the  sounding-board.  The 
height  of  the  bridge  was  correspondingly  lowered. 
Before  applying  the  bow,  I  expected  to  hear  a 
weak,  thin  tone.  But,  its  volume  was  great  enough, 
and,  intensity  seemed  to  be  of  the  average  degree 
for  the  £  arch.  I  had  no  opportunity  to  determine 
the  height  of  arching  given  to  the  Flicker  plates.  I 
could  see  that  the  long  arch  was  quite  equally  dis- 
tributed from  the  ends  of  the  plates  to  the  position 
of  the  bridge.  Upon  studying  this  situation,  it  be- 
comes apparent  that  to  raise  the  lower  end  of  this 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

finger-board  to  a  height  enabling  its  under  surface 
to  reflect  sound-waves  towards  the  bridge  is  im- 
practical, not  impossible,  simply  impractical;  and 
because  the  prodigious  height  of  the  strings  would 
cause  too  great  difficulty  in  playing.  The  Flicker 
was  not  difficult  of  playing. 

Thus  is  shown  the  fact  that  the  height  of  the 
bridge  must  depend  upon  the  height  of  the  finger- 
board, and  the  height  of  the  finger-board 
should  depend  upon  the  height  of  plate- 
arching.  In  the  case  of  the  Flicker  violin,  the  flat 
under  surface  of  the  finger-board,  resting  upon  a 
high  neck,  operated  to  direct  sound-waves  towards 
the  neck,  and  apparently,  such  is  only  the  practical 
plan  for  violins  having  the  greatest  height  of  arch. 
The  Flicker  exits  were  unusually  large,  and  appear- 
ed to  be  unusually  close  together.  The  spring  of 
arch  began  directly  within  the  purfing.  To  these 
facts  do  I  attribute  the  unusual  tone-power  of  this 
violin  in  comparison  with  the  tone-power  of  other 
violins  in  its  class. 

It  is  evident  that  increasing  width  of  the  finger- 
board increases  the  number  of  sound-waves  reflect- 
ed'back  to  the  sounding-board;  therefore,  such  in- 
crease in  width  operates  to  diminish  tone- 
power.  The  finger-board  is  a  necessity,  yet,  with 
best'possible  adjustment,  the  finger-board  operates 
to«diminish  i violin  tone-power.  Thus,  the  width, 
the  reflecting,  under-surface  line,  and  the  distance 
of  such 'line  "from  the  sounding-board,  are  potenti- 
alities of  the  finger-board  demanding  the  closest 
attention  from  the  violin  tone-regulator.  Lack 

168 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

of  such  attention  brings  penalties.  In  the  matter 
of  distance  between  the  sounding-board  and  under- 
surface  line  of  the  finger-board,  hard-and-fast 
rules  cannot  apply  only  upon  the  condition  that  the 
arching  and  graduation  of  the  sounding-board 
govern  the  rule. 

The  desired  height  of  the  strings  from  the  fing- 
er-board, and  the  position  of  the  bridge  upon  the 
sounding-board  govern  the  height  of  the  bridge. 
Height  of  strings  above  the  finger-board  may  quite 
safely  be  allowed  some  latitude  to  accommodate 
different  taste.  My  own  choice  for  this  height  is  -b> 
clear,  throughout.  Some  prefer  a  greater  height 
for  the  G,  and  less  height  for  the  E,  while  some 
prefer  a  greater  height  throughout.  I  once  knew 
a  proficient  violinist,  having  an  unusual  length  of 
hand  and  fingers,  who  placed  the  strings  i  inch 
above  the  lower  end  of  the  finger-board.  I  asked 
whyfore?  He  replied,  "Because  of  two  reasons; 
one  being  the  fact  that  my  violin  yields  greater 
power  of  tone;  the  other  being  the  fact  that  pizzi- 
cato tones  are  clearer."  I  do  not  find  his  first 
reason  to  hold  good  in  all  cases;  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, I  have  known  tone-power  to  be  weakened  by 
thus  raising  the  strings. 

Clear  pizzicato  tone  is  very  desirable.  The  snap- 
ping pizzicato  tone  due  to  string-oscillation  receiv- 
ing interference  from  the  finger-board,  is  some- 
thing inadmissable.  To  secure  clear  pizzicato  tone, 
while  yet  leaving  the  strings  at  »,  or  less,  from 
the  lower  end  of  the  finger-board,  I  resort  to  the 
following  treatment  of  the  upper  finger-board 

169 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

surface.  With  a  small  block-plane  I  dress  away 
this  surface  until  its  line  presents  a  slight  curve 
from  end  to  end.  The  least  wood  is  removed  from 
beneath  the  E,  and  the  greater  amount  from  be- 
neath the  G,  and  because  of  the  fact  that  amplitude 
of  string-oscillation  becomes  wider  from  E  to  G. 
The  lowest  point  in  this  curve,  determined  by  the 
straight-edge,  is  not  placed  higher  than  c  in  alt,  and 
because  of  the  fact  that  shortening  a  string  oper- 
ates to  diminish  amplitude  of  its  oscillilation. 

Further  consideration  of  the  bridge  will  be  re- 
sumed at  the  next  hour. 


170 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 
LECTURE  XI. 

GENTLEMEN:  Diminution  of  volume  and  inten- 
sity of  violin  tone  by  the  bridge  is  resumed. 

(b)  Thickness  of  the  bridge  may  be  so  great  as 
to  become  a  potent  factor  in  diminishing  both  vol- 
ume and  intensity  of  tone.  A  demonstration  for 
this  fact  is  very  easy  of  accomplishment.  Although 
this  fact  comes  within  the  daily  observation  of  vio- 
lin students,  yet,  because  only  a  small  minority  of 
such  students  trouble  themselves  with  the  philoso- 
phy involved  in  tone-modifiers,  and,  because  ac- 
quaintance with  certain  physical  laws  is  of  value 
to  the  violin  tone-regulator,  therefore  it  seems  ad- 
visable to  give  consideration  to  such  laws.  Certain 
physical  laws  are  valuable  to  violin  tone  insofar  as 
human  ingenuity  can  apply  them.  In  such  appli- 
cation lies  a  difficulty.  In  all  my  long-time  appli- 
cation there  has  been  but  a  single  result  of  marked 
value  to  violin  tone  following  a  priori  reasoning. 

I  find  the  problem  of  bridge-thickness  to  be  com- 
plicated with  four  inevitable  factors: 

(a)  Height  of  finger-board 

(b)  Height  of  arching. 

(c)  Diameter  of  strings. 

(d)  Density  of  fiber. 

(a)  As  previously  shown,  the  height  of  the 
bridge  is  governed  by  the  height  of  finger-board, 
yet,  this  statement  is  subject  to  modification.  Be- 
cause two  violins  have  precisely  similiar  height  of 
finger-board,  it  does  not  follow,  as  a  necessity, 
that  the  bridges  have  precisely  similiar  height. 
This  fact  is  due  to  dissimilarity  in  height  of  arching 

171 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

at  the  position  of  the  bridge.  Doubtless  many,  if 
not  all  violin  students  have  observed  that  some 
makers  place  the  highest  point  in  the  arching  at 
the  position  of  the  bridge,  while  other  makers  place 
the  highest  point  upwards,  or  forwards  from  the  po- 
sition of  the  bridge.  It  is  evident  that  this  dissim- 
ilarity necessitates  dissimilarity  in  bridge-height. 

[Although  not  here  in  point,  yet,  fear  of  omis- 
sion makes  me  call  attention  to  placing  the  highest 
point  of  the  arch,  (longitudinal  arch)  at  position  of 
the  bridge,  Within  my  observation,  placing  the 
highest  point  of  arching  at  position  of  bridge,  op- 
erates to  increase  tone-power'  From  my  view 
point,  the  reasons  for  such  increase  are  two  in 
number,  and  thus:  First:  Diminishing  height  of 
bridge  permits  diminution  of  bridge- thickness; 
hence,  diminution  in  the  muting  effects  from  a 
greater  mass  of  wood  in  the  bridge.  Second: 
Placing  the  highest  point  in  plate  arching  forwards 
of,  or  upwards  from  position  of  the  bridge  operates 
to  diminish  the  amplitude  of  sounding-board  oscil- 
lation beneath  the  strings;  hence,  diminished  pow- 
er of  tone.] 

It  is  evident  that  thickness  of  the  bridge  may 
operate  to  mute  violin  tone.  It  is  also  evident  that 
diminution  in  bridge-height  permits  diminution  in 
bridge-thickness.  It  is  observable  that  diminution 
of  bridge-thickness,  down  to  the  point  of  sustain- 
ing string-pressure  without  bending,  operates  to 
deliver  upon  the  sounding-board  a  greater  force 
from  blows  of  the  strings,  Hence,  both  diminish- 
ed height  and  diminished  thickness  of  bridge  op- 

172 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 


erate  to  diminish  tone-power. 

[At  a  previous  hour  it  was  shown  that  proximity 
of  vibrating  bodies,  susceptible  to  identical  force, 
operates  to  augment  sympathetic  action.  For  this 
reason,  loss  of  sympathetic  action  between  the 
strings  and  that  part  of  the  sounding-board  be- 
neath the  strings  might  be  considered  as  one  of  the 
modifiers  operating  to  diminish  volume  and  inten- 
sity of  violin  tone;  but  because  the  list  of  such  tone- 
modifiers  already  reaches  the  number  12,  and,  be- 
cause of  failure  to  find  two  more  such  modifiers, 
therefore  I  decline  to  permit  sympathetic  action, 
(with  its  number  13)  a  chance  to  "hoodoo"  my 
work. 

(c)  Diameter  of  violin  strings  largely,  (not 
wholly)  governs  downward  pressure  upon  the  ' 
bridge.  It  is  apparent  that  the  smaller  string-dia- 
meter causes  less  downward  pressure  upon  the 
bridge  by  reason  of  less  tension  demanded  in  tun- 
ing. Therefore,  to  produce  maximum  tone-power 
from  smaller  strings  requires  diminution  of  bridge- 
thickness  proportionate  to  diminution  of  string- 
diameter.  The  exception  to  string-diameter  gov- 
erning downward  pressure  upon  the  bridge  lies  in 
plate-arching.  It  is  evident  that,  with  no  arching 
whatever,  downward  pressure  by  the  strings  is  at 
the  minimum;  and,  because  of  the  fact  that  the 
strings  are  at  the  least  practical  distance  above  a 
straight  line  from  saddle  to  nut.  At  such  straight 
line,  the  downward  pressure  being  zero,  it  follows 
that  every  degree  of  bridge-height  above  this  line 
operates  to  increase  downward  string-pressure. 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

Therefore  the  higher  the  plate-arching,  the  greater 
is  downward  string-pressure  upon  the  bridge. 
Therefore  arching  becomes  a  factor  in  determining 
bridge-thickness.  Thus  is  shown  the  fact  that  hard- 
and  fast  rules  cannot  apply  to  violin  bridge-thick- 
ness, (c)  The  span  between  bridge-pedestals,  or 
shanks,  while  not  being  a  potent  factor  in  diminish- 
ing tone-power,  yet  it  is  a  factor  demanding  atten- 
tion. By  being  either  too  great,  or  too  small,  this 
span  operates  to  diminish  amplitude  of  sounding- 
board  oscillation,  and  therefore  diminishes  tone- 
power. 

There  are  two  factors  governing  bridge-span: 

Position  of  bar. 

Distance  between  exits. 

According  with  my  observation,  failure  in  plac- 
ing the  center  of  the  left  pedestal  over  the  center 
of  bar-thickness  operates  to  diminish  D-string  tone- 
power.  Again,  placing  the  center  of  the  right 
pedestal  over  sounding-board  fibers  cut  off  by  the 
right'exit  operates  to  diminish  E-string  tone-pow- 
er. The  bridge,  without  pedestals  whatever, 
possesses  interest,  thus:  In  those  cases  wherein  a 
hollow  tone  of  great  volume,  but  of  weakened  in- 
tensity, caused  by  too  great  reduction  of  sounding- 
board  rigidity  in  its  central  area,  the  bridge  with- 
out pedestals,  carefully  fitted  to  lateral  curve  of 
the  sounding-board,  operates  to  augment  A  and  D- 
string  tone-power;  not  greatly,  but  perceptibly. 
Upon  that  sounding-board  possessing  sufficient 
rigidity  in  its  central  area,  I  do  not  find  that  the 
bridge  without  pedestals  operates  to  either  aug- 

174 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ment  or  diminish  tone-power  of  any  string.  In 
this  respect  I  find  the  bridge  without  pedestals  to 
operate  precisely  as  the  re-enforce  block  glued 
transversely  upon  the  inner  surface  of  the  sound- 
ing-board at  the  position  of  the  bridge. 

[In  experimental  work,  I  have  placed  such  re- 
enforce  block  upon  17  different  sounding-boards 
having  varying  degrees  of  rigidity  in  their  central 
areas.  The  .benefit  to  tone  therefrom  was  only 
manifested  upon  such  sounding-boards  as  were 
reduced  in  thickness  sufficient  to  cause  weakened 
A  and  D-tone.  Upon  such  sounding-boards  as  pro- 
duced strong  A  and  D-tone,  the  re-enforce  block 
neither  operated  to  diminish  nor  augment  tone- 
power  of  any  string.] 

Density  of  fiber  is  a  powerful  factor  in  the  bridge. 
Either  softest  fiber,  or  densest  fiber  operates  to  di- 
minish tone-power.  Without  doubt,  this  fact  is 
due  to  failure  in  transmission  of  force  from  strings 
to  the  sounding-board.  In  the  case  of  the  violin, 
it  is  apparent  that  force  from  the  strings  can  be 
only  communicated  to  the  sounding-board  by  the 
vibratory  action  of  connecting  media,  as  the  bridge, 
and  air.  Such  transmission  is  not  confined  to  the 
bridge  by  any  means.  Sympathetic  action  between 
strings  and  sounding-board  is  wholly  due  to  the 
presence  of  air  as  a  connecting  medium.  The  po- 
tency in  sympathetic  action  I  find  to  be  eminently 
worthy  of  consideration  by  the  violin  student.  I 
know  of  no  easier  demonstration  for  such  potency 
than  as  follows:  Remove  the  bridge,  and,  over 
the  tail-block,  place  a  bridge  of  sufficient  height  to 

175 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

maintain  the  strings  at  their  usual  height  above  the 
finger-board. 

[To  make  a  precise  test  for  the  potency  in  sym- 
pathetic action,  it  is  a  necessary  condition  that  the 
strings  be  not  attached  to  the  violin.  In  either 
method,  tone-power  from  sympathetic  action  is 
surprisingly  great  when  sounding-board  rigidity 
corresponds  to  string-diameters,  in  other  words,  to 
string-force;  but,  when  such  rigidity  is  too  great, 
then  the  power  of  sympathetic  tone  is  diminished, 
and  diminished  because  maximum  sympathetic  act- 
ion between  two  contiguous,  vibrating  bodies  de- 
mands equal  susceptibility  to  force.  Such  sympa- 
thetic tone  is  also  diminished  by  area  of  the  exits.] 

The  greatest  density  in  any  bridge  I  have  tried 
is  found  in  one  made  of  bone.  The  density  in  this 
bridge  modifies  tone  in  a  peculiar  manner;  both 
volume  and  intensity  of  tone  being  greatly  dimin- 
ished, while  the  little  tone  remaining  is  remarkably 
thin>  and  of  an  excruciatingly  stinging  quality. 

The  bridge  of  softest  fiber  to  which  I  have  given 
trial,  is  selected  from  soft  Michigan  pine.  This 
bridge  operates  to  diminish  both  volume  and  inten- 
sity of  tone,  but,  it  also  operates  to  diminish  dis- 
agreeable quality  of  tone.  Upon  the  violin  of  noisy 
tone,  I  have  not  observed  failure  of  improvement 
in  disagreeable  tone-quality  to  follow  employment 
of  this  soft  wood1  for  the  bridge.  The  thickness  of 
such  bridge  cannot  be  reduced  to  the  same  degree 
as  the  maple  bridge  because  of  greater  ease  in 
bending  under  string-pressure.  Asperity  of  tone 
may  be  greatly  reduced  by  employing  such  soft 

176 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

wood  for  both  bridge  and  post. 

Scroll-work  upon  the  bridge  has  a  more  import- 
ant mission  than  mere  ornament.  It  is  my  exper- 
ience that  the  "whole,"  or  "solid"  bridge,  of  any 
wood  whatever,  operates  to  diminish  tone-power. 
Could  thickness  in  the  "solid"  bridge  be  diminish- 
ed until  its  vibratory  action  becomes  equally  sus- 
ceptible to  force  as  the  scroll-cut  bridge,  then 
scroll-work  would  become  merely  ornamental. 
But,  such  diminution  of  bridge-thickness  is  imprac- 
ticable because  downward  pressure  of  the  strings 
operates  to  bend  the  "solid"  bridge  when  thus  re- 
duced in  thickness.  It  is  a  fact  that  bending  the 
bridge  operates  to  diminish  the  amplitude  of  its  os- 
cillation; hence  bending  the  bridge  operates  to  di- 
minish tone-power,  and,  in  precisely  the  same  way 
as  bending  the  sounding  board.  Obviously,  thick- 
ness of  the  bridge  must  be  great  enough  to  hold 
the  bridge  erect  under  string-pressure.  Because 
string-pressure  varies  with  height  of  plate-arching 
and  diameters  of  strings,  and,  because  different 
samples  of  bridge-wood  present  differing  degrees 
of  rigidity,  therefore  hard-and-fast  rules  for 
bridge-thickness  cannot  apply.  In  this  matter,  I 
know  of  no  successful  rule  other  than  the  usual 
rule,  '  'Cut-and-try. "  Experience  demonstrates 
that  the  "solid"  bridge,  thick  enough  to  stand 
erect  under  25  to  28  pounds  of  string-pressure, 
possesses  mass  sufficient  to  appreciably  mute  the 
tone.  Experience  also  demonstrates  that  some 
part  of  such  mass  may  be  safely  removed  from  cer- 
tain parts  of  the  bridge  without  diminishing  rigid- 

177 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ity  to  the  point  of  bending. 

Such  diminution  in  mass  is  secured  by  the  famil- 
iar scroll- work: 

The  location  and  extent  of  scroll-work  upon  the 
bridge  by  no  means  should  be  left  to  chance;  and 
because  mal-position  and  extent  of  such  work  may 
operate  to  cause  unevenness  in  tone-power.  Thus, 
after  every  other  minute  detail  in  construction,  op- 
erating to  produce  evenness  of  tone-power,  has  re- 
ceived the  limit  of  attention,  yet,  mal-position  and 
extent  of  central  scroll-work  on  the  bridge  may  re- 
main to  defeat  the  most  skillful  violin  builder  who- 
ever felt  the  impulse  of  ambition. 

As  I  hold  this  bridge  up  to  your  view,  you  ob- 
serve the  location  and  extent  of  the  central  scroll, 
and  also  the  scroll-work  at  either  end.  Near  to 
either  end,  you  observe  an  isthmus,  or  narrow  neck 
between  the  central  and  end  scrolls.  As  you  ob- 
serve, these  necks  connect  the  upper  and  lower- 
halves  of  the  bridge.  It  is  apparent  that  all  vibra- 
tory action  in  the  bridge,  aroused  by  action  of  the 
strings,  must  travel  downwards  through  these  nar- 
row necks.  It  is  evident  that  diminution  of  these 
necks  operates  to  modify  transmission  of  vibratory 
action.  It  is  also  evident  that  inequality  in  the  di- 
mensions of  these  necks  operates  to  cause  unequal 
susceptibility  to  force.  It  is  also  evident  that  force 
in  violin  strings  varies  as  their  diameter  and 
weight.  Hence,  it  becomes  obvious  that  equality 
in  the  dimensions  of  these  necks  operates  to  dimin- 
ish tone-power  of  the  smaller  strings.  Therefore, 
for  production  of  evenness  of  tone-power,  dimen- 

178 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

sions  of  the  neck  beneath  the  A  and  E-strings 
should  be  less  than  dimensions  of  the  neck  beneath 
the  G  and  D-strings;  and,  such  diminution  in  mass 
should  be  in  the  same  ratio  as  the  diminished  diam- 
eters of  the  strings. 

Here  is  a  dozen  high  grade  bridges.  With  a 
machinist's  rule  I  determine  dimensions  of  their 
isthmi  between  central  and  end  scroll-work.  I  find 
thickness  of  those  isthmi  to  be  i;  but,  in  their  width, 
I  find  variation,  from  equality,  to  be  1-16  inch. 
It  is  plainly  apparent  that  such  variation  in  mass 
may  be  turned  to  good  account  in  the  work  of  se- 
curing evenness  of  tone-power.  Thus:  Placing 
the  larger  isthmus  beneath  G  and  D-strings  operat- 
es to  equalize  transmission  of  force.  It  is  also  ap- 
parent that  diminishing  thickness  of  these  isthmi 
permits  the  bridge  to  bend  under  string-pressure; 
but,  diminishing  their  width  cannot  cause  such  dis- 
astrous result.  It  is  also  apparent  that  the  dimen- 
sions of  those  isthmi  should  be  governed  by  string- 
pressure;  and,  because  such  pressure  varies  with 
varying  degrees  of  plate- arching  and  string-diam- 
eter, therefore,  for  such  dimensions,  hard-and- 
fast  rules  cannot  apply. 

(f )  Maturity  of  bridge-wood,  (maturity  of  tree 
before  jbeing  felled)  is  a  powerful  factor  in  the  list 
of  tone-modifiers.  Such  maturity  is  of  equal  im- 
portance with  maturity  in  sounding-board  wood. 
In  the  absence  of  maturity  from  either  lies  defeat 
of  tone  quality.  The  reasons  for  taking  sounding- 
board  wood  from  that  part  of  the  log  between 
heart-wood  and  sap-wood  apply  equally  to  bridge- 
wood. 

179 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 
LECTURE  XII. 

GENTLEMEN:  (g)  Position  of  bridge  is  an  im- 
portant tone-modifier.  So  important  is  it  that  mal- 
position may  utterly  annihilate  "richness"  of  vio- 
lin tone,  even  when  all  other  factors  are  at  their 
best.  I  recall  that  case  of  "wolf"  which  was  com- 
pletely cured  by  position  of  bridge  and  post.  I  also 
recall  the  fact  that  harmonics  a  bassa,  or  resultant 
tones  of  the  text-books,  tones  assisting  in  produc- 
ing "rich"  violin  tone,  will  become  audible  only 
when  length  of  strings,  (from  bow  to  nut,  not 
from  bridge  to  nut)  and  the  active  length  of  sound- 
ing-board are  equal.  Thus:  Because  the  bow 
practically  shortens  the  strings  by  one  inch,  and 
because  the  greatest  length  of  sounding-board  ac- 
tivity, productive  of  audible  sound,  equals  12  inch- 
es, therefore,  for  production  of  the  "rich"  violin 
tone,  the  length  of  strings,  from  bridge  to '  nut, 
must  equal  13  inches.  But,  in  tone  regulation 
work,  the  above  rule  cannot  be  interpreted  as  a 
hard-and-fast  rule.  Within  my  observation,  there 
is  one  point,  and  but  one,  for  that  position  of  the 
bridge  yielding  greatest  richness  of  tone;  and,  by 
no  means  am  I  able  to  precisely  pre-determine  such 
position.  Experiment  on  each  sounding-board 
must  be  depended  upon  for  precise  determination 
of  the  best  bridge-position. 

I  close  discussion  of  the  violin  bridge  with  the 
unqualified  statement  that  all  bridges  of  immature 
wood,  (always  sap-wood)  are  best  disposed  of  as 
firewood. 

(8)    The  finger-board  problem  comes  next  in  the 

180 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

list  of  factors  operating  to  diminish  volume  and  in- 
tensity of  violin  tone.  Because  of  my  inability  to 
solve  the  problem  of  the  bridge  until  after  solving 
the  problem  of  the  finger-board,  therefore  the  fing- 
er-board was  given  priority  in  presentation.  At 
this  moment  I  cannot  call  up  anything  further  to 
say  upon  this  tone-modifier. 

(9)  The  strings  are  a  very  important  factor  in 
diminishing  violin  tone-power.  Their  importance 
is  clearly  shown  by  the  fact  that  sounding-board 
rigidity  must  be  governed  by  string-diameters  and 
weight.  In  my  statement  concerning  violin  strings, 
the  wire  string  receives  no  consideration  further 
than  that  it  is  an  evil  made  necessay  by  evil  situa- 
tions; that  is,  situations  wherein  excess  of  water 
vapor  operates  to  quickly  ruin  gut  strings.  In  all 
cases  where  sounding-board  rigidity  is  determined 
by  large  strings,  then  substitution  of  smaller  strings 
operates  to  diminish  tone-power.  It  is  my  obser- 
vation that  in  all  cases  wherein  sounding-board 
rigidity  is  precisely  reduced  to  correspond  with 
force  in  guage-2  strings,  then  substitution  of 
larger  strings  operates  to  augment  volume  of  tone 
while  diminishing  intensity  of  tone.  Thus,  at 
nearby  distances,  tone  is  greater;  but  is  a  failure 
at  long  distances.  I  find  a  satisfactory  explana- 
tion for  this  phenomenon  to  be  a  matter  of  difficul- 
ty. As  an  aid  to  such  explanation,  I  call  attention 
to  the  fact  that  larger  strings,  played  in  double- 
stops,  cause  violent  trembling  of  such  sounding- 
board.  It  seems  reasonable  to  suppose  that  trem- 
bling of  the  violin  may  be  so  great  as  to  weaken 

181 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

tone  in  view  of  the  fact  that  violent  trembling  of 
the  horn  operates  not  only  to  weaken  tone,  but 
also,  perceptibly  to  lower  tone-pitch.  It  is  a  fact 
of  more  or  less  frequent  observation  that  the  over- 
forced  tone  from  any  horn  in  a  brass  band  is  out  of 
tune  with  other  horns,  and  out  of  tune  because  of 
being-  lowered  in  pitch.  It  seems  to  me  that  such 
lowered  pitch  is  caused  by  the  violent  trembling  of 
the  instrument.  That  such  tone  is  weakened  in 
intensity  is  clearly  perceptible.  Again,  in  orches- 
tra ensemble,  tone  from  the  violently  trembling 
violin  may  be  totally  annihilated  by  sound-waves 
from  harmony  instruments.  For  this  fact  there 
appears  no  reasoning  so  plausible  as  diminished  in- 
tensity in  the  tone  of  such  trembling  violin.  Again, 
in  the  chorus,  when  any  member  indulges  in  vio- 
lent tremolo,  it  is  at  once  apparent  that  his,  or  her, 
(too  often  "her,"  more's  the  pity)  voice  is  not  only 
weakened,  but,  is  so  much  out  of  tune  as  to  be- 
come sickening  to  the  musically  trained  listener. 
Again,  strings  of  too  great  diameter  operate  to  ac- 
centuate noisy  tone-quality.  Thus,  whatever  may 
be  the  correct  explanation,  the  fact  remains  that 
employment  of  strings.,  having  too  great  force  for 
sounding-board  rigidity,  or  for  back-plate  rigidity 
either,  is  but  inviting  disaster.  From  my  view 
point,  'tis  safer  to  err  in  the  opposite  direction  be- 
cause smaller  strings  operate  to  diminish  noisy 
tone-quality. 

The  "twist"  and  number  of  "strands"  in  the 
strings  may  operate  to  diminish  both  volume  and 
intensity  of  tone.  Thus,  the  string  of  but  a  single 

182 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

strand  operates  to  diminish  tone-power.  The  rea- ' 
son  is  obvious.  In  such  string,  flexibility  being  at 
the  minumum,  therefore  rapidity  in  winding  and 
unwinding  under  bow-pressure  is  greatly  diminish- 
ed; therefore  diminished  force  in  blows  delivered 
upon  the  bridge  must  follow.  Flexibility  in  violin 
strings  operates  to  augment  rapidity  in  winding 
and  unwinding;  hence  the  flexible  string  delivers  a 
blow  of  greater  force.  Weight  of  strings  may  also 
diminish  tone-power.  To  be  equal  in  weight,  the 
silk  string  must  be  given  increased  diameter,  while 
the  steel  string  must  be  given  diminished  diameter. 
In  all  cases  evenness  of  tone  is  diminished  by  dis- 
proportionate diameter  and  weight  of  strings.  As 
a  violin  tone-modifier,  the  subject  of  strings  pos- 
sesses vast  interest  to  the  student  of  tone  peculiar- 
ities. The  tone  of  the  finest  violin  ever  built  may 
be  easily  ruined  by  the  strings  employed.  In  my 
observation,  the  choice  in  metal  for  winding  the  G- 
string  should  be  governed  by  the  tone-peculiarities 
inevitable  to  each  individual  violin.  In  equal  quan- 
tity, copper,  silver  and  gold  vary  in  weight. 
Whenever  I  have  found  a  copper- wound  string  pre- 
cisely fitting  the  tone-peculiarities  of  a  certain  vio- 
lin, then  substitution  of  either  silver,  or  gold- wound 
G  has  proven  to  be  a  disappointment. 

In  precise  adjustment  of  the  G-string,  it  is  my 
method  to  make  trial  of  such  strings  as  have  differ- 
ent diameters.  After  determining  that  diameter 
giving  best  results  in  double-stops,  then  I  select 
one  of  slightly  greater  diameter  and  give  it  time  to 
stretch.  Then,  while  in  position,  and  in  tune,  I 

183 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

proceed  to  diminish  both  weight  and  diameter  with 
an  inch-square  piece  of  emery-cloth.  With  precis- 
ion as  an  object,  the  emery-cloth,  folded  once  around 
the  string,  and  firmly  held  by  the  thumb  and  fing- 
er, is  made  to  travel  from  bridge  to  nut,  then, 
slightly  turned  and  made  to  travel  back  to  the 
bridge.  This  operation  is  frequently  interrupted 
by  application  of  the  bow,  and  for  the  purpose  of 
knowing  the  moment  when  such  reduction  in  diam- 
eter and  weight  has  reached  the  desired  point. 
When  carefully  done,  this  method  largely  removes 
certain  rough  inequalities  of  tone  inevitable  to  all 
new  G-strings.  When  this  method  is  applied  upon 
a  G-string  having  correct  diameter,  the  result  is 
disastrous.  Considering  the  vast  value  in  beauti- 
ful G-string  tone-quality,  no  amount  of  work 
thereon  is  too  great. 

[Possibly  I  may  be  liable  to  the  charge  of  fre- 
quent repetition;  but  I'll  take  such  risk  by  again 
stating  that  beautiful  double-stop  tones  are  the  sal- 
vation of  the  violin  soloist.  With  salvation  in  view, 
the  G-string  must  not  be  offensively  prominent. 
It  is  possible  that  I  may  be  hard  to  please  in  the 
matter  of  violin  tone-quality;  but,  whatever  I  say 
upon  this  point  is  said  only  as  the  opinion  of  an  in- 
dividual, and  said  with  the  acknowledgement  that 
my  opinion  may  be  in  error.  In  life  I  know  of  no 
fact  more  potent  than  the  fact  that  musical  taste 
varies  as  the  number  of  people.  In  my  opinion, 
the  tone  from  a  set  of  steel  violin  strings  is  only 
worthy  of  anathema. 

(10)    That  the  condition  of  interior  violin-surfaces 

184 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

may  operate  to  diminish  both  volume  and  intensity 
of  tone  requires  only  a  thought.  Did  I  recommend 
spreading  a  carpet  over  the  inner  surface  of  the 
violin  back,  every  reader  would  doubtless  pronounce 
judgement  upon  me  thus:  '  'That  Castle  is  a  fool, " 
or  worse  yet,  "Castle  is  a  fiddle  crank."  The 
worst  of  it  is,  the  "coat  would  fit."  Doubtless 
many  readers  think  '  'the  coat  fits"  snug  enough 
when  I  say  that  both  volume  and  intensity  of  violin 
tone  are  augmented  by  a  perfectly  smooth  interior 
surface.  I  do  say  that,  and  say  it  with  all  the 
earnestness  at  my  command.  This  problem  in  vi- 
olin tone  is  solved  to  my  satisfaction.  If  any  good 
quality  of  tone  were  injured  by  the  perfectly 
smooth  interior  surface,  then  by  no  means  would 
this  problem  be  solved  to  my  satisfaction.  The 
question  of  solving  this  problem  to  your  satisfac- 
tion rests  entirely  with  yourselves.  I'd  never  give 
you  the  details  for  interior-surface  work  were  I 
"out  just  for  health."  On  the  contrary,  I'd  keep 
to  myself  the  secret  of  changing  $5-fiddles  into 
$100-violins.  If  necessary,  I  can  give  the  names 
of  several  quite  competent  violinists  whose  $3-fid- 
dles,  (wholesale)  are  now  valued  by  them  at  sev- 
eral hundred  dollars.  Do  not  understand  me  as 
claiming  all  this  change  in  tone-value  to  be  due  to 
a  perfectly  smooth  interior-surface;  but,  you  may 
understand  me  to  say  that,  without  such  permanent- 
ly smooth  interior-surface,  the  owners  would  not 
have  attached  those  high  prices.  I  can  give  the 
name  of  one  such  owner,  living  within  30-minutes 
ride  of  one  of  the  world's  largest  violin  markets, 

185 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

who  positively  declined  to  attach  a  price  to  his 
originally  $10-flddle. 

"Did  I  give  details  to  those  owners?" 

"Certainly  not." 

"Why  not?" 

"Because  of  the  very  prejudice  you  entertain  at 
this  moment." 

Here's  a  "pointer"  intended  for  your  benefit: 
When  any  person  guarantees  the  tone  of  his  violin 
to  "carry"  1250  measured  feet  out  in  the  open  and 
under  identical  meteoric  conditions,  and  in  identi- 
cal hours  of  the  day,  and  with  identical  precaution 
against  the  presence  of  sound-wave  reflectors  that 
have  been  heretofore  described,  just  trouble  your- 
self to  ascertain  whether  or  not,  the  interior  sur- 
face of  that  violin  is  permanently  and  perfectly 
smooth. 

'Again,  in  all  old  violins  which  have  not  been 
"cleaned  out,"  and  many,  very  many  used  violins 
not  yet  old  in  years,  I  assure  you  of  finding  their 
interior  surface  covered  with  a  "carpet."  Such 
carpet  will  be  found  composed  of  wood-fiber,  wood- 
dust,  and  dirt.  Here  is  your  chance  to  test  aug- 
mentation in  volume  and  intensity  of  tone  without 
injury  to  any  tone-quality,  of  which  I  have  given 
assurance  in  these  pages.  To  all  violin  users  desir- 
ing-a  violin  possessing  maximum  tone-power,  I  rec- 
ommend careful  application  of  the  details  for  inter- 
ior surface*protection,  together  with  other  details 
herein  submitted.  With  careful,  painstaking  work, 
I  am  confident  of  your  success. 

(11)    Area  and  position  of  the  exits  are  the  most 

186 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

powerful  factors  operating  to  diminish  volume  and 
intensity  of  violin  tone.  Area  of  exits 
alone,  is  more  potent  than  all  other  factors 
combined.  Startling  as  this  statement  may  be,  yet 
its  correctness  is  of  easy  demonstration.  Without 
exits  whatever,  the  finest  violins  ever  built  will 
not,  nor  cannot  yield  more  tone  than  the  broom- 
stick fiddle.  In  such  situation,  the  strings  are  left 
with  nothing  but  unconfined  air  upon  which  to  ex- 
pend their  force.  Hence,  instead  of  concentration 
of  sound-wave  lines  of  travel,  there  is  the  widest 
possible  dispersion  of  those  lines.  Again,  in  such 
situation,  string  force  receives  augmentation  neith- 
er from  direct  sounding-board  action  nor  from  sym- 
pathetic action.  Without  exits,  the  sounding- 
board  is  motionless.  Its  power  is  not  sufficient  to 
compress  confined  air.  Without  exits,  the  violin 
descends  to  the  broom-stick  level. 

Hence,  without  exits— without  violin. 

But,  a  minute  opening  in  the  walls  operates  to 
permit  some  action  of  the  sounding-board.  In- 
stantly there  follows  perceptible  augmentation  of 
tone-power;  and  such  augmentation  follows  placing 
the  opening  upon  the- back,  upon  the  ribs,  upon  the 
sounding-board,  wherever  you  please,  but  such 
augmentation  does  not  follow  in  equal  degrees. 
Those  curved  walls  operate  to  direct  sound-wave 
lines  of  travel.  As  you  look  at  a  violin  of  good 
model,  you  instantly  perceive  that  those  interior 
curved  walls  cannot  direct  the  bounding  ball 
towards  the  ribs.  Were  those  ribs  of  glass,  no 
bounding  ball  would  ever  break  them.  Wherever 

187 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

the  bounding  ball  goes,  there,  also,  the  sound-wave 
movement  must  go.  But,  there's  a  difference  in 
the  action  of  a  single  ball  and  countless  number  of 
balls  touching  each  other.  Air  molecules,  being 
balls  possessing  immense  elastic  energy,  and  not 
moving  away  from  that  position  occupied  at  the 
instant  of  receiving  a  blow,  operate  to  produce 
sound-waves  by  communicating  elastic  energy  from 
one  to  the  other;  and  such  communication  contin- 
ues until  force  in  the  original  blow  becomes  ex- 
hausted. It  is  evident  that  increasing  force  in  the 
original  blow  operates  to  increase  the  distance 
traveled  by  sound-wave  movement.  It  is  also  evi- 
dent that  sound-wave  movement  may  be  either  dis- 
persed or  concentrated;  also,  that  concentration  of 
such  movement  operates  to  augment  both  volume 
and  intensity  of  tone,  but,  in  unequal  degrees;  in- 
tensity being  augmented  in  the  greater  degree.  It 
is  apparent  that  interior  walls  of  the  violin  body 
not  only  prevent  dispersion  of  sound-wave  move- 
ment, but  also  because  of  longitudinal  and  trans- 
verse arching  of  the  plates,  operate  to  concentrate 
such  movement.  It  is  apparent  that  the  point  of 
sound-wave  concentration  within  the  violin  must 
vary  with  varying  degrees  of  plate-arching.  To 
precisely  determine  such  varying  points  is  the  des- 
pair of  scientists.  It  is  evident  that  placing  the 
exits  at  points  of  greatest  sound-wave  concentra- 
tion becomes  a  powerful  factor  in  the  production  of 
maximum  tone-power;  also,  that  placing  the  exits 
at  a  distance  from  such  points  of  concentration  op- 
erates to  diminish  tone-power. 

188 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

"How  may  we  find  those  points? 

"Don't  ask  the  scientist. " 

Not  more  can  he  tell  you  than  Sam  Jones  can  tell 
you  where  heaven  is. 

By  reason  of  experience  alone,  the  violin  builder 
will  cut  out  the  exits  obliquely  across  the  sound- 
ing-board and  trust  to  luck  for  hitting  those  points. 
Thus,  obliquity  in  position  of  the  exits  becomes  of 
immense  value  to  violin  tone  power.  Could  those 
points  of  greatest  sound-wave  concentration  be 
pre-determined,  then  exits  in  parallelogram  form 
might  be  employed  to  augment  tone-power. 

As  previously  shown,  the  exit  of  small  area  per- 
mits but  a  limited  degree  of  sounding-board  action, 
therefore  it  follows  that  increasing  the  area  of  ex- 
its operates  to  permit  increased  amplitude  of  sound- 
ing-board oscillation;  hence  an  increased  force  of 
blow  upon  contained  air;  hence  an  increased  tone- 
power. 

We  are  now  arrived  at  a  point  in  violin  construct- 
ion possessing  intense  interest  to  two  classes  of 
violin  users;  the  one  desiring  quality  of  tone  with 
moderate  volume;  the  other  desiring  great  volume 
of  tone  regardless  of  quality:  From  my  point  of 
view,  interest  in  violin  exits  equals  interest  in 
sounding-board  wood  and  model  of  plate-arching. 

Further  consideration  of  the  exits  will  be  con- 
tinued at  the  next  hour. 


189 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 
LECTURE  XIII. 

GENTLEMEN:  In  resuming  presentation  of  violin 
exits  as  tone-modifiers,  I  take  occasion  to  repeat 
the  fact  that  the  exits  are  more  potent  than  all 
other  factors  combined.  Therefore,  to  violin  exits 
attaches  intense  interest.  "Without  exits,  with- D^' 
violin,"  is  equally  truthful  as,  "without  sun,  with- 
out light."  From  pole  to  pole,  all  animate  objects 
love  the  sunshine.  From  southern  habitable  limits 
to  northern  limits,  humanity  loves  sweet  sounds. 
All  over  the  habitable  world,  the  area  and  position 
of  violin  exits  contributes  to  the  sum  of  human 
happiness.  In  diminished  area  of  exits  the  aesthet- 
ic violin  lover  may  find  solace.  In  enlarged  area 
of  exits,  the  lover  of  great  volume  may  find  enjoy- 
ment. 

In  power  to  command  beautiful  tone-quality,  vi- 
olin exits  stand  supreme  and  alone.  Their  power 
to  suppress  "noise"  surpasses  all  other  tone-modi- 
fiers combined. 

Blessed  are  they! 

Mr.  Builder,  in  cutting  out  those  exits,  I  pray 
thee  to  use  occasionly  that  keen  blade  with  a  sparing 
hand.  Sweet  Music,  keenly  watching  your  work, 
will  sweetly  sing  your  praises  in  the  ear  of  your  cus- 
tomer. There  are  yet  violin  users  who  will  give  you 
an  ounce  of  gold  for  every  pennyweight  of  wood 
between  the  small  and  the  large  exit. 

[There  is  a  large  class  of  violin  users  preferring 
quality  of  violin  tone  above  mere  quantity  of  tone. 
Without  hesitation,  I  confess  membership  in  such 
class;  but,  do  not  understand  me  as  condemning 

190 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

quantity  of  violin  tone.  On  the  contrary,  I  hold  to 
the  belief  that  quantity  of  violin  tone  is  a  necessi- 
ty in  certain  situations;  and,  in  such  situations, 
quantity  of  tone  is  equally  valuable  with  a  gun 
"out  west;"  either  being  a  necessary  evil  for  sal- 
vation. What  I  do  condemn  is  the  employment  of 
"big  tone"  in  all  situations  and  upon  all  occasions. 
Next  to  the  noisy  violin,  the  violin  of  "big  tone" 
becomes  offensive  when  employed  in  other  situa- 
tions than  where  it  belongs;  that  is,  in  the  large 
auditoria.  Offensiveness  of  tone  is  a  serious  mat- 
ter, whether  or  not  offense  is  due  to  too  much  or 
too  little  tone.  It  is  my  desire  to  assist  in  prevent- 
ing employment  of  the  violin  in  situations  arousing 
contempt  for  both  performer  and  instrument. 
Thus:  To  carry  an  old  violin,  whose  tone  has  gone 
down  into  dotage,  into  the  larger  auditoria  and  at- 
tempt to  force  its  once  willing  tone  to  farthest 
expectant  ear  is  not  only  an  act  of  inexcusable  idi- 
ocy, but,  is  also  a  display  of  heartless  cruelty.  Pos- 
sibly the  later  withdrawal  of  patronage  may  grow 
to  become  an  efficient  method  for  preventing  con- 
tinuance of  such  distressing  displays.] 

The  most  wonder-exciting  phenomena  connected 
with  violin  tone  are  due  to  area  and  position  of  the 
exits.  Even  the  constancy  of  these  phenomena  ex- 
cites wonderment.  There  are  seven  of  these  phe- 
nomena, and  four  out  of  the  seven  do  not  depend 
upon  inherent  quality  of  wood  for  existence.  Nor 
hard  fiber,  nor  soft  fiber  nor  no  fiber  at  all  exert 
any  influence  whatever  upon  those  four  phenomena. 

The  existence  of  these  four  phenomena  depends 

191 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

wholly  upon  air. 

The  seven  phenomena  connected  with  violin  ex- 
its are: 

(a)  Position  of  exits  may  diminish  or  increase 
tone-power. 

(b)  Increasing  area  of  exits  augments  volume 
and  diminishes  intensity  of  tone. 

(c)  Diminishing  area  of  exits  augments  intensi- 
ty and  diminishes  volume  of  tone. 

(d)  Diminishing  area  of  exits  lowers  tone-pitch. 

(e)  Enlarging  area  of  exits  raises  tone-pitch. 

(f)  Diminishing  area  of  exits  diminishes  noisy 
tone-quality. 

(g)  Enlarging  area  of  exits  accentuates  noisy 
tone-quality. 

In  view  of  this  display  of  facts,  there  is  little 
wonder  that  great  interest  attaches  to  violin  exits. 
Because  of  not  having  a  satisfactory  explanation 
for  the  phenomenon  in  raising  and  lowering  tone- 
pitch  by  enlarging  or  diminishing  area  of  exits, 
therefore  none  is  offered;  but,  in  advance,  I  offer 
thanks  to  anyone  for  such  satisfactory  explanation. 

(a)  Position  of  exits  may  diminish  or  increase 
tone-power. 

This  fact  is  susceptible  of  conclusive  demonstra- 
tion. Thus:  Placing  the  exits  in  the  ribs  of  the 
middle  bout,  other  conditions  remaining  as  usual, 
operates  to  diminish  tone-power.  The  reason  for 
such  diminution  is  apparent;  the  exits  thus  placed 
are  not  in  the  line  of  sound-wave  concentration. 
This  conclusion  is  proven  by  closing  such  exits, 
and  placing  others  in  the  usual  position.  The 

192 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

striking  increase  in  tone-power  following  such 
change  in  position  is  the  measure  of  sound-wave 
concentration  in  that  particular  violin;  but,  is  not  a 
measure  of  such  concentration  for  another  violin 
having  a  greater  or  less  height  of  plate-arching. 
Again,  placing  the  exits  nearer  to  the  edges  of  the 
sounding-board  operates  to  diminish  tone-power, 
but,  the  degree  of  diminution  varies  with  the 
height  of  arching;  the  lower  the  arch,  the  less  di- 
minution in  tone-power.  It  is  obvious  that  increas- 
ing height  of  arching  operates  to  increase  sound- 
wave concentration  in  the  direction  of  the  center 
join  of  the  plates;  therefore,  the  higher  the  arch, 
and  the  nearer  the  exits  are  placed  to  the  center 
join,  the  greater  is  tone-power.  In  practice,  I  find 
a  variation  of  i  in  distance  from  center  join  to  the 
exits  operates  to  change  tone-power  when  height 
of  arch  equals  f  or  more;  below  f,  the  change  in 
tone-power  is  less  marked.  In  this  matter,  the 
pattern  for  exits  should  vary  in  width  of  curve  at 
the  ends  as  the  degree  of  tone-power  desired. 
Thus,  with  diminished  width  of  curve,  the  exit 
may  be  placed  nearer  the  center- join;  width  of  curve 
increased,  places  the  exit  at  a  greater  distance 
from  the  center-join.  For  position  of  exits,  hard- 
and-fast  rules  cannot  apply. 

(b)  Increasing  area  of  exits  augments  volume 
and  diminishes  intensity  of  tone.  My  explanation 
for  this  phenomenon  begins  upon  a  well  made  vio- 
lin, of  good  model  and  good  wood,  and  having  no 
exits  whatever,  but  having  other  conditions  as 
usual. 

193 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

In  this  condition,  the  plates  remain  motionless 
and  toneless  under  vigorous  bow  pressure.  Its  ad- 
mirable sounding-board  cannot  act.  Contained  air 
will  not  permit  it  to  act.  Elasticity  in  air  molecules 
within  this  violin  body  is  a  resisting  force  vastly 
greater  than  force  in  the  strings.  Only  by  per- 
mitting escape  of  part  of  this  resisting  energy  can 
this  sounding-board  be  excited  to  action.  For  the 
purpose  of  observing  the  effect  upon  this  sounding- 
board,  I  shall  permit  escape  of  such  resisting  ener- 
gy in  gradually  increased  degrees.  If  my  reason- 
ing is  sound,  then  sounding-board  activity  will 
increase  as  escape  of  resisting  force  increases. 
With  this  object  in  view,  I  outline  the  exits  in  their 
usual  position,  and  cut  out  the  smaller  round  at 
their  upper  extremities.  Application  of  the  bow 
now  produces  sound,  but  it  is  a  sound  of  small  vol- 
ume, of  low  pitch,  and  of  marked  intensity  as  com- 
pared with  volume.  It  is  clear  at  once  that  small 
volume  of  this  sound  is  due  to  escape  of  but  a  small 
amount  of  molecular,  elastic  energy,  but  reason  for 
the  intensity  of  this  tone  is  not  so  clear,  while  rea- 
son for  its  low  pitch  drives  me  into  the  region  of 
mere  supposition.  I  know  the  supposition  of  phil- 
osophers upon  this  point,  but  supposition  lacks 
much  of  being  satisfaction.  That  the  varying 
lengths  of  air  columns  confined  yield  sound  of 
equally  varying  degrees  of  pitch  is  amply  demon- 
strated in  organ  pipes,  horns,  steam  whistles,  and 
all  wind  instruments;  but,  after  enlarging  these 
exits  to  one  half  usual  area,  how  may  we  account 
for  the  greatly  raised  tone-pitch  following?  It  is 

194 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

clear  that  the  greater  volume  of  sound  following 
such  enlargement  is  due  to  greater  escape  of  mo- 
lecular, elastic  energy;  also,  that  such  increased 
escape  of  energy,  by  diminishing  resistance,  per- 
mits wider  amplitude  of  sounding-board  activity; 
hence  greater  force  in  the  blow  delivered  upon  con- 
tained air;  hence  greater  volume  of  tone. 

After  enlarging  these  exits  to  their  usual  area, 
application  of  the  bow  determines  another  great 
addition  to  volume  of  tone.  Again,  after  enlarg- 
ing these  exits  beyond  their  usual  area,  volume  of 
tone  is  yet  increased,  tone-pitch  is  raised,  but,  in- 
tensity of  tone  is  diminished,  and  noisy  tone-qual- 
ity is  accentuated. 

How  far  such  increase  in  area  of  exits  may  be 
extended  without  complete  ruin  to  tone-value  is 
one  of  the  demonstrations  I  have  not  made.  It  is 
evident  that  such  increase  has  its  practical  limits. 
We  know  that  total  absence  of  confining  walls  per- 
mits dispersion  of  sound-waves  equally  in  all  direc- 
tions; that  such  dispersion  operates  to  diminish  in- 
tensity of  sound  to  the  minimum.  It  is  apparent 
that  area  of  the  exits  may  'be  so  great  as  to  permit 
an  amount  of  dispersion  greatly  dimiminishing 
intensity  of  tone.  It  is  a  well  known  fact  in  physics 
that  the  greatest  volume  of  sound  occurs  in  open 
air  where  no  confining  walls  are  present.  In  view 
of  these  facts,  it  is  evident  that  diminishing  the 
area  of  exits  operates  to  diminish  volume  of  tone, 
to  increase  intensity  of  tone,  and  to  diminish  noise. 

In  the  work  of  artistic  violin  construction,  I  know 
of  no  factor  possessing  greater  importance  than 

195 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

area  and  position  of  the  exits.  Considering  good 
material  and  good  model  to  be  present,  then  area 
and  position  of  the  exits  must  be  relied  upon  to 
satisfy  the  varying  tastes  of  violin  users.  Thus, 
that  builder  who  only  desires  to  please  the  taste 
for  great  volume  of  tone,  will  place  exits  of  large 
area  as  near  to  the  center  join  as  is  practical;  and, 
that  builder  who  only  desires  to  please  the  taste 
for  diminished  volume  of  tone,  increased  intensity 
of  tone,  and  diminished  noisy  tone-quality,  will 
place  exits  of  small  area  at  a  greater  distance  from 
the  center  join.  From  my  view-point,  it  seems 
but  wisdom  to  be  prepared  for  all  varieties  of  tone- 
taste;  therefore  in  the  work  of  tone-regulation  up- 
on violins  intended  for  such  as  prefer  quality  be- 
fore volume  of  tone,  it  is  necessary  to  cut  the  exits 
too  small  at  first,  and  to  increase  their  area  only 
after  application  of  the  bow.  In  my  experience,  it 
is  a  fact  standing  out  in  strong  relief  that  hard- 
and-fast  rules  for  the  area  of  exits  cannot  apply. 
Thus:  If  a  sweet,  intense  tone  is  desired,  then  the 
exit  of  large  area  operates  to  defeat  intention. 
Again,  differing  degrees  of  arching  operate  to  cause 
differing  lines  of  sound-wave  travel;  therefore,  po- 
sition of  exits  must  approach  to,  or  recede  from 
the  center  join  as  the  variations  in  height  of  arch- 
ing; therefore,  hard-and-fast  rules  for  position  of 
exits  cannot  apply. 

In  this  matter,  as  previously  stated,  the  violin 
builder  must  rely  wholly  upon  experience  and  ob- 
servation. There  is  no  alternative.  In  this  mat- 
ter, that  colossal  thing  called  "science,"  isashelp- 

196 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

less  as  an  infant.  In  the  case  of  the  bar- 
rel-shape violin,  we  may  rest  assured  that  the  exits 
are  not  in  the  line  of  sound-wave  concentration. 
Such  assurance  is  based  upon  the  fact  of  feeble 
tone-power  invariably  existing  in  violins  of  such 
model.  The  tone-power  from  this  rotund  violin 
is  but  the  tone-power  of  an  infant;  whereas,  the 
tone-jjower  from  this  flat-model  violin,  its  every 
line  a  line  of  beauty,  merely  suggesting  rotundity, 
sets  every  beam  of  the  house  into  a  rollicking  two- 
step.  Without  a  shadow  of  doubt,  the  exits  of  the 
latter  violin  are  in  the  line  of  sound-wave  concen- 
tration. I  believe  that  continued  trial  might  de- 
termine the  precise  distance  of  the  exits  from  the 
center-join  for  each  degree  of  arching.  With  the 
intention  of  producing  maximum  tone-power,  such 
figures  would  possess  value. 

Oft  repeated  demonstrations  have  firmly  estab- 
lished the  fact  that  increasing  the  area  of  exits  op- 
erates to  raise  tone-pitch.  I  confess  this  phenome- 
non seems  paradoxical.  I  cannot  divest  myself  of 
an  impulse  to  think  that  the  contrary  result  to  tone- 
pitch  should  follow  enlarging  the  exits. 

[Here  is  a  demonstration  for  the  fact  that  pre- 
conceived ideas  may  lead  one  into  error.  Often 
upon  arising  in  the  morning  at  some  strange  place 
for  which  we  had  formed  preconceived  ideas  of  the 
different  points  of  the  compass,  the  sun  seems  not 
to  rise  in  the  east.  It  may  appear  to  rise  in  the 
north,  and  even  in  the  west;  and,  it  may  obstinate- 
ly refuse  to  rise  in  the  east  so  long  as  we  remain 
at  that  point.  Thus  am  I  affected  by  the  phenom- 

197 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

enon  of  raising  tone-pitch  by  enlarging  area  of 
exits.  Again  I  offer  thanks  in  advance  for  a  satis- 
factory explanation  for  thus  raising  violin  tone- 
pitch.] 

The  small  amount  of  such  enlargement  necessary 
to  increase  volume  of  tone,  and,  raise  tone-pitch  is  a 
matter  for  profound  surprise.  Removal  of  but  a 
single  shaving  from  the  inner  edge  of  an  exit  is 
sufficient  to  change  these  two  qualities  of  tone. 

The  philosophy  for  diminishing  or  accenuating 
"noise"  in  violin  tone  by  diminishing  or  increasing 
area  of  exit  is  not  difficult  of  explanation.  The 
cause  for  "noisy"  violin  tone,  as  previously 
shown,  is  due  to  small  areas  of  greater  thickness 
of  wood  located  in  sound-producing  parts  of  the 
sounding-board;  and,  because  of  such  limited  tone- 
producing  area,  it  is  apparent  that  the  tone  there- 
from possesses  but  feeble  power.  It  is  also  appar- 
ent that  any  agent  operating  to  diminish  violin 
tone-power,  might  operate  to  annihiliate  the  feeble 
noise- wave.  Hence,  diminishing  area  of  the  exits 
augments  sweetness  of  violin  tone;  also,  when  the 
cause  for  "noise"  exists,  increasing  area  of  the 
exits  operates  to  accenuate  such  noisy  sound. 

Feebleness  of  the  noise- wave  is  easy  of  demons- 
tration. Take  the  noisiest  violin  out  in  the  open 
and  apply  thereto  the  utmost  vigor  of  the  bow, 
while  the  listener  retires  to  a  distance.  As  dis- 
tance increases,  noise  diminishes,  while  musical 
sound  yet  remains  distinct.  Position  of  exits  ex- 
erts considerable  influence  in  producing  that  rum- 

198 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

bling  character  in  violin-tone  so  aptly  described  as 
"tone-all-inside."  Although  faulty  interior  lines 
of  the  plates  are  the  chief  factors  in  producing  this 
character  of  tone,  yet,  position  of  the  exits  may 
add  to  or  subtract  from  such  rumbling  sound;  but, 
in  cases  where  such  rumbling  sound  is  marked,  the 
position  of  exits  cannot  be  relied  upon  to  effect 
complete  cure.  Indeed,  there  seems  to  be  no  cure 
for  serious  cases  other  than  building  new  plates 
having  correct  interior  lines;  that  is,  lines  which 
continually,  and  with  precise  regularity,  direct 
sound-wave  movement  in  the  direction  of  the  exits 
instead  of  directing  such  movement  away  from  the 
exits.  To  produce  the  maximum  tone-power,  when 
interior  lines  operate  to  direct  sound-wave  move- 
ment from  the  exits,  is  an  utter  impossibility;  also, 
with  such  lines  absolutely  perfect,  placing  the  exits 
away  from  lines  of  sound-wave  travel  defeats  max- 
imum tone-power.  In  the  production  of  maximum 
tone-power,  interior  lines  of  the  plates  become 
prodigious  factors;  whereas,  exterior  lines  exert 
no  influence  whatever.  Therefore,  in  producing 
maximum  tone-power,  it  becomes  necessary  first  to 
establish  interior  lines  of  the  plates,  and  thereafter 
reduce  thicknesses  by  work  on  exterior  lines. 
Thus,  the  highest  point  in  the  longitudinal  arch, 
viewed  from  the  interior,  may  be  placed  at  the  po- 
sition of  the  bridge;  thus,  sound-wave  movement 
cannot  be  directed  away  from  the  exits  when  exits 
are  placed  at  the  nearest  practical  distance  to  the 
center- join. 

(12)  Depth  of  ribs  is  the  last  factor  in  the  list  of 

199 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

tone-modifiers  for  consideration.  The  chief  effect 
upon  violin  tone  from  depth  of  ribs  is  manifested 
upon  tone  pitch;  yet,  the  effect  of  this  factor  upon 
volume,  intensity,  and  brilliance  of  tone  is  worthy 
of  consideration.  Other  dimensions  remaining 
equal,  diminishing  depth  of  ribs  operates  to  demin- 
ish  volume  of  tone,  while  intensity  and  brilliance 
of  tone  are  increased.  In  experiment  upon  this 
factor  I  have  diminished  depth  of  ribs  from  1  and 
i  inches,  down,  by  degrees  of  1-16,  to  a  depth 
equalling  I  inch;  and  from  this  depth,  have  rebuilt 
such  ribs,  by  additions  of  i,  to  the  depth  of  1  and  f 
inches.  Such  changes  in  depth,  being  given  to 
one  particular  violin,  afford  conclusive  proof  that 
shortening  length  of  perpendicular  air  columns 
within  the  violin  body  operates  to  raise  tone-pitch, 
and  vice  versa,  to  lower  tone-pitch.  In  diminish- 
ing depth  of  ribs  to  I  inch,  violin  tone  undergoes 
remarkable  changes  in  character;  volume  of  tone 
is  greatly  diminished;  tone-pitch  is  greatly  raised; 
and  intensity  and  brilliance  of  tone  are  greatly  in- 
creased. Next  to  the  area  and  position  of  exits, 
depth  of  ribs  is  the  most  potent  tone-modifier  in 
the  list.  At  the  extreme  depth  of  1  and  k  inches, 
volume  of  tone  is  greatly  increased,  while  intensity 
and  brilliance  of  tone  are  greatly  diminished,  and 
tone-pitch  is  greatly  lowered.  In  my  observation, 
variation  of  1-32  inch  in  depth  of  ribs  perceptibly 
operates  to  change  pmMtiUn  these  tone  qualities. 
In  cases  of  hollow,  weak  tone,  caused  by  too 
great  diminution  of  sounding-board  thickness,  I 
have  added  greatly  to  tone-value  by  simply  dimin- 

200 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ishing  depth  of  ribs;  and,  the  amount  of  such  di- 
minution is  always  governed  by  the  degree  of  tone- 
weakness  in  each  case.  Such  diminution  may 
equal  1-32  or  1-16,  or  i  inch  when  arching  equal  £, 
and  depth  of  ribs  equals  1  and  i  inches.  In  this 
work,  the  point  is  to  diminish  volume  of  tone,  and 
to  increase  intensity  of  tone,  brilliance  of  tone,  and 
to  raise  tone-pitch.  Such  effects  upon  tone  follow 
with  certainty,  even  while  all  other  dimensions  re- 
main equal.  It  is  my  observation  that  "noise"  dis- 
appears from  violin  tone  as  weakness  of  tone  in- 
creases; and  no  matter  whether  weakness  is  caused 
by  too  great  thickness  or  too  great  diminution  of 
sounding-board  wood,  or  by  diminished  area  of  the 
exits,  or  by  application  of  a  mute  to  the  bridge. 
Thus  the  hollow,  weak  tone  is  never  a  noisy  tone. 

[There  are  situations  where  volume  of  tone  may 
be  of  greater  value  than  intensity  of  tone.  Such 
situations  are  found  where  music  is  drowned  by 
noise  from  shuffling  feet,  from  loud  conversation, 
from  clinking  glasses,  from  popping  corks,  and 
from  clinking  sound  of  silver  coin;  situations  where 
music  is  wasted  on  desert  air— I  mean  "smoky  air" 
—situations  wherein  the  only  hope  of  aestheticism 
is  centered  in  the  snowy  crown  of  carbonic  oxide 
overtopping  the  graceful  schooner.  In  such  situa- 
tion you  are  advised  to  increase  the  area  of  the  ex- 
its.] 

Extraneous  factors  operating  to  diminish  violin 
tone-power  are: 

(1)  The  mute. 

(2)  Bow-hair. 

201 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

Philosophy  involved  in  the  mute  is  the  only  feat- 
ure of  interest  that  the  mute  possesses  for  the 
student  of  violin  tone-peculiarities.  The  mute 
clearly  demonstrates  the  amazing  value  of  the 
bridge  to  violin  tone;  and  such  demonstration  places 
in  a  clear  light  the  fact  that  the  bridge,  in  trans- 
mitting force  to  sounding-board,  operates  by  vibra- 
tory action.  Because  the  mute  diminishes  such  vi- 
bratory action,  therefore,  the  mute  is  of  value  in 
demonstrating  the  fact  that  rigidity  of  bridge- 
wood  fiber  may  be  so  great  as  to  diminish  tone- 
power.  The  mute  is  also  of  value  in  demonstrat- 
ing the  fact  that  the  noise- wave  disappears  first  in 
diminished  tone-power.  Thus,  no  matter  what  the 
degree  of  accent  given  to  noise  by  any  violin,  appli- 
cation of  a  mute  to  the  bridge  operates  to  annihil- 
ate such  noise.  Therefore,  when  a  case  of 
"nerves"  exist  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  noisy  vio- 
lin, the  mute  is  raised  to  the  degree  of  benefactor. 
Vivid  recollections  suggest  that  two  benefactors 
might  be  better  than  one. 

(2)  Bow-hair,  and  the  stick  itself,  may  operate 
to  diminish  both  volume  and  intensity  of  tone.  I 
recollect  an  astonishing  occurrence  connected  with 
worn  out  bow-hair.  A  certain  player  gave  himself 
the  trouble  of  taking  a  day's  journey  to  consult  me 
about  an  unaccountabe  loss  in  the  tone-power  of 
his  violin.  As  he  presented  his  violin  and  bow  to 
me,  he  remarked,  '  It  used  to  have  a  good,  strong 
tone."  Upon  attempting  to  draw  tone  from  his 
violin,  I  at  first  thought  his  bow-hair  had  been 
smeared  with  grease,  for  it  slipped  across  the 

202 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

strings  without  producing  as  much  tone  as  follows 
the  employment  of  the  mute.  Nor  did  increased 
pressure  help  the  matter.  Examination  of  the  hair 
disclosed  two  conditions  operating  to  diminish  tone- 
power.  First:  Diameter  of  the  hair  was  of  the 
smallest  variety.  Second:  The  barbs  or  scales 
upon  which  dependence  is  placed  for  exciting 
string-action,  were  worn  entirely  away.  Laying 
aside  his  worthless  bow,  I  applied  one  of  mine. 
His  violin  did  possess  a  good,  strong  tone.  Ques- 
tioning brought  out  the  fact  that  he  had  given 
much  employment  to  steel  E's.  How  any  one, 
having  sufficient  intelligence  to  read  music,  could 
fail  to  know  the  cause  for  loss  of  tone-power  in  this 
case  is  a  problem  in  human  peculiarities  for  which 
I  offer  no  explanation. 

Without  doubt,  had  this  party  paid  a  good  price 
to  a  good  violin  maker  for  a  good  violin,  he  would 
now  be  condemning  such  maker  as  a  fraud.  Un- 
der such  provocation,  the  "old  masters"  might  be 
excused  for  restlessness. 

To-day  it  seems  scarcely  necessary  to  state  that 
bow-hair  should  be  coarse  and  strong;  that  the 
best  hair  is  obtained  from  the  male  equine;  that, 
because  the  barbs  thereon  point  in  one  direction, 
therefore,  to  secure  equal  force  to  up  and  down 
strokes,  one-half  of  such  barbs  should  point  up- 
ward and  one-half  downward;  that,  when  those 
barbs  become  worn  by  friction  upon  the  strings, 
and  worn  by  friction  upon  lumps  of  "rosin,"  then 
the  "hank"  should  be  turned  over;  that,  when 
again  worn,  the  whole  "hank"  should  be  thrown 

203 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

away. 

There  is  truth  .in  saying,  ' '  Tis  more  difficult  to 
find  a  good  bow  than  to  find  a  good  violin."  In 
approaching  dotage,  I  repeat  that  saying.  But 
two  times  in  fifty  years  use  of  the  violin  do  I  re- 
collect of  holding  in  hand  what  I  call  a  good  bow. 
During  those  years,  I  have  held  in  hand  many  good 
violins.  What  I  call  a  good  bow  is  one  that  bal- 
ances at  a  point  seven  inches  from  the  frog;  that 
springs  back  into  the  position  of  rest  with  the  ce- 
lerity of  tempered  steel;  that  has  the  lowest  point 
of  the  "cambre"  in  its  upper  third,  and  well  up 
toward  the  tip;  one  that  seems  instinctively  to  hug 
the  strings. 

At  the  next  hour,  the  subject  of  maximum  even- 
ness of  tone-power  will  be  presented. 


204 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 
LECTURE  XIV. 

GENTLEMEN:  I  am  now  to  present  maximum 
evenness  of  violin  tone.  I  confess  to  no  little 
dread  in  approaching  this  problem.  Perhaps 
dread  causes  me  to  defer  its  presentation  until 
near  the  close  of  our  course.  Perhaps  the  fact 
that  my  solution  for  this  problem  has  received  but 
a  single  demonstration  operates  to  increase  my 
dread.  I  know  full  well  that  one  swallow  does  not 
make  summer.  I  also  know  full  well  that  the  most 
misleading  writers  upon  the  violin  are  such  as 
write  up  tone-peculiarities  of  but  a  single  violin. 
To  present  the  tone-peculiarities  of  a  single  violin 
as  facts  existing  in  all  violins  ought  to  make  the 
writer  liable  to  criminal  prosecution  upon  the 
charge  of  conspiring  to  defraud. 

Only  such  factors  as  depend  upon  the  action  of 
air  may  be  relied  upon  as  constant  factors  influenc- 
ing violin  tone;  whereas  all  such  factors  as  depend 
upon  the  action  of  wood  are  not  reliable,  not  con- 
stant, but,  on  the  contrary,  are  capricious  in  action 
from  first  to  last.  'Tis  such  capricious  action  that 
prevents  application  of  hard-and-fast  rules  to  violin 
construction.  'Tis  plainly  evident  that  the  market 
would  be  glutted  with  "best"  violins  could  hard- 
and-fast  rules  apply  to  violin  construction.  'Tis 
capricious  action  of  wood  which  makes  the  violin 
stand  in  a  class  by  itself.  'Tis  quite  within  possi- 
bility to  tone-regulate  all  other  musical  devices  in 
such  uniformity  as  makes  the  tone  of  one  precisely 
like  the  tone  of  another;  whereas,  no  degree  of 
human  skill  can  make  two  violins  sound  precisely 

205 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

alike  except  at  rare  intervals. 

Hence,  whoever  writes  up  the  details  of  a  single 
good  violin  as  being  details  infallible  in  tone-results 
is  chargeable  with  fraud,  whether  intentional  or 
not.  Again  I  state  that  only  such  violin  tone-mod- 
ifiers as  depend  upon  the  action  of  air  can  be  relied 
upon  as  infallible  factors. 

Bearing  this  fact  in  mind  myself,  I  ask  that  you 
also  bear  the  same  fact  in  mind  when  either  study- 
ing or  applying  my  details  for  maximum  evenness 
of  violin  tone.  That  these  details  may  fail  at  times 
and  succeed  at  other  times  is  as  much  of  a  certainty 
as  the  capricious  action  of  wood.  With  no  desire 
whatever  to  enlarge  upon  my  own  achievement,  I 
state  that  these  details  for  evenness  of  violin  tone- 
power  were  traced  on  paper  as  a  result  of  a  priori 
reasoning.  This  fact  operates  to  humble  my  pride. 
The  fact  that  I  devoted  a  lifetime  to  the  study  of 
violin  tone  and  only  succeeded  in  securing  but  a 
single  beneficial  factor  thereto  by  &  priori  reason- 
ing is  humiliating.  Yet,  from  no  authority  what- 
ever, can  I  find  another  factor  beneficial  to  violin 
tone  which  was  traced  on  paper  prior  to  the  fact. 
All  along  the  violin's  400-year  path  no  fact  is  so 
prominent  as  the  fact  that  every  factor  beneficial 
to  violin  tone  is  due  directly  to  experiment  alone. 
Hitherto,  the  tracing  on  paper  of  every  such  factor 
has  been  a  result  of  post  facto  reasoning.  Practi- 
cally, to  the  violin  there  is  no  difference  in  favor 
of  either  method  for  tracing  beneficial  factors. 
The  only  benefit  lies  with  the  violin  student;  and, 
such  benefit  consists  wholly  in  encouragement.  If 

206 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

thought  can  secure  one  factor  of  benefit  to  violin 
tone,  then  thought  may  secure  two  such  factors. 
There's  the  point!  To  say,  "The  violin  reached 
perfection  200  years  ago,"  is  profoundly  discour- 
aging to  all  who  accept  it  as  the  truth.  Happily 
it  is  now  generally  understood  that  this  saying,  in 
late  years,  originated  with  the  old-violin-trade- 
promoter. 

Application  of  details  for  maximum  evenness  of 
tone-power  was  accomplished  upon  only  a  single 
violin;  since  when,  this  three- wheel-chair,  whence 
I  address  you,  has  occupied  my  attention.  So 
marked  was  evenness  of  tone-power  in  this  single 
demonstration  that  I  feel  encouraged  to  ask  that 
you  take  my  solution  where  I  leave  it;  and,  should 
my  solution  prove  correct,  then  will  I  be  amply 
rewarded. 

Without  diagrams,  I  am  confronted  with  an  un- 
usual degree  of  difficulty  in  the  selection  of  words 
to  describe  accurately  the  details  for  maximum 
evenness  of  tone-power;  therefore,  you  may  find 
concentrated  thought  necessary  to  an  understanding 
of  their  description.  In  such  case,  I  know  of  no 
other  way  than  repeatedly  going  over  the  ground. 
Such  repetition  is  work,  but,  for  such  work  I  offer 
you  encouragement. 

As  a  means  for  assistance  in  making  the  details 
for  evenness  of  tone-power  stand  out  in  a  clear 
light,  it  is  first  necessary  to  present  the  lines  of 
reasoning  which  led  up  to  the  fact.  Only  by  slow 
steps  and  concentrated  thought  could  I  follow  those 
lines  to  a  conclusion;  and  even  thus  proceeding,  I 

207 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

found  necessity  for  bridging  one  yawning  chasm 
with  a  mere  "guess."  As  you  may  have  observed 
in  emergencies,  '  'guessing' '  quite  often  becomes  a 
necessity. 

Every  musical  device  possesses  a  fundemental, 
or  lowest  tone  peculiar  to  itself;  and,  in  all  musical 
devices,  except  the  strings,  provision  is  made  for 
the  production  of  tones,  higher  in  pitch  than  the 
fundemental  tone.  In  all  wind  instruments,  such 
provision  is  based  wholly  upon  the  action  of 
air;  whereas,  with  the  strings,  such  provision  is  bas- 
ed partly  upon  the  action  of  the  air,  and  partly  upon 
the  action  of  wood  and  strings.  This  difference 
places  the  string  family  in  a  class  by  itself;  also, 
this  difference  immensely  complicates  the  problems 
involved  in  production  of  string- tones;  also,  this 
difference  defies  human  skill  to  produce  precise 
uniformity  in  string-tone  values. 

Although  the  piano  is  a  stringed  musical  device, 
yet;  because  every  one  of  its  tones  is  a  fundament- 
al tone,  while  the  violin  has  but  four  fundamental 
tones,  therefore  there  exists  but  a  remote  relation- 
ship between  these  two  devices.  Because  piano 
tone  depends  upon  the  direct  blow  of  a  hammer, 
therefore,  the  piano  belongs  in  the  class  of  percus- 
sion devices,  notwithstanding  employment  of  a 
sounding-board  to  augment  tone-power.  The  tone 
of  the  violin  depends  upon  the  winding  and  un- 
winding of  strings,  and  employment  of  a  sound- 
ing-board for  augmentation  of  power.  Hereat  ter- 
minates similarity  in  these  two  devices.  The 
sounding-board  of  the  piano  must  be  lengthened, 


208 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

shortened,  widened  and  regulated  in  thickness  to 
accommodate  each  and  all  of  its  fundamental  tones, 
whereas,  that  particular  part  of  the  violin  sound- 
ing-board, augmenting  the  fundamental  tone  of 
each  string-,  must  also  augment  all  other  possible 
tones  upon  each  string.  This  dissimilarity  oper- 
ates to  permit  evenness  of  tone-power  in  the  piano 
and  to  cause  unevenness  of  tone-power  in  the 
violin. 

Concentrated  thought  and  experiment,  directed 
to  the  piano  scale,  (comparative  length  of  strings 
and  sounding-board)  has  resulted  in  a  quite  satisfy- 
ing evenness  of  tone-power.  In  this  quality  of  tone, 
the  violin  sounding-board  yet  remains  faulty.  Nat- 
urally, the  question  arises,  "Can  concentrated 
thought  and  experiment  improve  the  violin  sound- 
ing-board in  the  matter  of  greater  evenness  of 
tone-power?" 

In  solving  this  question,  it  is  first  necessary  to 
definitely  point  out  errors  in  dimensions  of  the  vio- 
lin sounding-board.  Naturally,  those  who  believe 
that  the  violin  reached  perfection  200  years  ago 
will  decline  to  admit  that  imperfections  exist  in 
the  200-year  sounding-board;  or,  that  imperfec- 
tions exist  today  in  sounding-boards  precisely  sim- 
ilar to  the  200-year  sounding-board. 

Possibly,  no  evidence  whatever  can  change  such 
belief. 

As  a  successful  method  for  maintaining  error, 
there's  none  quite  so  successful  as  refusal  of*  evi- 
dence. In  calling  upon  the  piano  sounding-board 
for  evidence  of  error  in  the  violin  sounding-board, 

209 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

there's  bound  to  be  some  who  will  decline  to  re- 
ceive such  evidence  for  fear  of  being  convinced 
against  their  will. 
Here  follows  such  evidence: 

(1)  The  piano  sounding-board  is  heaviest  be- 
neath the  larger  strings. 

(2)  The  piano  sounding-board  is  lightest  be- 
neath the  smaller  strings. 

(3)  The  piano  sounding-board  is  longest  be- 
neath the  larger  strings. 

(4)  The  piano  sounding-board  is  shortest  be- 
neath the  smaller  strings. 

In  the  Strad  sounding-board  there's  no  difference 
in  length  of  sounding-board  activity  beneath  the 
strings.  In  the  Strad  sounding-board  there's  no 
difference  in  thickness  beneath  the  strings.  From 
these  facts,  it  is  clearly  evident  that  the  violin 
sounding-board  of  200  years  ago  had  not  reached 
perfection.  [In  the  matter  of  producing  evenness 
tone-power,  some  of  the  Joseph  Guarnerius  sound- 
ing-boards reached  much  nearer  perfection  than 
any  sounding-board  of  the  Stradivari.] 

Because  the  piano  sounding-board  of  today  pro- 
duces the  greater  evenness  of  tone-power,  it  is 
evident  that  error  lies  in  the  violin  sounding-board; 
and,  such  error  becomes  apparent  in  attempting 
to  produce  two  octaves  of  tone,  having  even  pow- 
er, upon  any  of  the  four  violin  strings.  Even  with 
the  aid  of  increased  bow-pressure,  such  attempt  is 
a  failure.  The  reason  for  such  failure  is  apparent; 
the  same  length  and  thickness  of  sounding-board, 
engaged  in  augmenting  the  fundamental  tone, 


210 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

must  also  be  employed  to  augment  the  tone  from 
the  shortened,  and  consequently  weakened  string. 
For  this  fact,  there  is  but  one  conclusion;  that  is 
both  length  of  sounding-board  activity,  and  rigidity 
of  sounding-board  are  too  great  for  the  weakened 
blow  from  shortened  string.  Starting  with  the 
fundamental  tone  of  any  violin  string,  and  count- 
ing half-intervals,  there  are  twenty-five  tones 
within  two  octaves  to  be  augmented  by  an  identi- 
cal set  of  sounding-board  fibers.  Upon  the  piano, 
each  of  these  successive  tones  is  augmented  by  a 
sounding-board  of  diminished  length,  and  diminish- 
ed _  thickness.  Upon  the  violin,  such  diminished 
length  and  diminished  rigidity  of  the  sounding- 
board,  for  each  successive  tone,  is  manifestly  im- 
possible. Indeed,  equal  evenness  of  violin  tone- 
power  with  the  evenness  of  piano  tone-power  would 
be  a  forlorn  hope  were  it  not  for  the  aid  from 
increased  bow-pressure. 

It  is  apparent  that  production  of  even  tone  pow- 
er throughout  two  octaves  upon  each  violin  string 
is  a  problem  beset  with  difficulties.  It  is  also  ap- 
parent that  a  solution  for  such  problem  is  of  value 
to  violin  tone;  and  in  all  conscience,  to  claim  im- 
provement upon  the  best  sounding-board  methods 
of  Stradivarius  and  Joseph  Guarnerius  is  apparent- 
ly sufficientl  cause  for  hesitation.  During  200 
years,  those  methods  have  been  faithfully  copied 
by  the  most  ambitious  violin  builders  throughout 
the  civilized  world;  and,  in  all  the  world,  I've 
known  of  none,  nor  heard  of  none  claiming  im- 
provement upon  the  best  from  those  two  famous 

211 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

experimentalists.  Yet,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  none  are  found  making  such  claim,  I  know  of 
modern  violins  equally  as  beautiful  in  tone  as  any 
Strad  I've  ever  heard,  and,  while  equally  sweet  in 
tone,  possess  greater  evenness  of  tone-power. 

Why  not  claim  the  due? 

I  cannot  see  any  harm  in  claiming  such  due  when 
the  claimant  has  the  goods  to  show! 

Tis  true,  'tis  best  to  never  claim  more  than  is 
due;  and,  'tis  best  to  be  modest  in  making  any 
claim  for  onesself ;  but,  'tis  of  no  avail  to  hide  one's 
light  under  a  bushel.  The  world  is  ever  ready  to 
accord  merit  at  the  moment  of  conviction  that  mer- 
it is  due;  but,  the  world  rightfully  demands  proof 
before  judgment. 

By  all  considerations,  submit  the  proof. 

In  submitting  such  proof,  there's  none  to  fear 
except  the  old- violin-trade-promoter;  and,  it  is 
now  quite  generally  understood  that  he  is  booked 
for  that  port  where  willful  liars  are  consigned. 

As  we  elderly  students  of  the  violin  vividly  re- 
member, Ole  Bull  could  draw  four  octaves  of  quite 
even  musical  tone  from  each  string  of  his  '"Jos- 
eph." As  all  students  of  the  violin  know,  'tis  a 
fallacy  to  claim  such  merit  to  lie  wholly  with  the 
performer.  No  matter  who  the  performer,  he 
first  must  hold  the  goods  in  hand.  It  *is  my  own 
observation  that  the  "Joseph,"  among  old  violins, 
remains  unequaled  as  a  solo  violin  in  the  larger 
auditoria;  and,  such  opinion  is  based  upon  the 
fact  that  the  "Joseph"  possesses  both  greater  pow- 
er and  evenness  of  tone-power.  'Tis  but  natural  for 


212 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

the  student  to  ask,  '  'What  causes  greater  power  and 
greater  evenness  of  tone-power  in  the   "Joseph?" 

During  many  years,  I  have  tried  to  answer  this 
question,  but,  for  same  reason  left  to  conjecture, 
precise  data  for  the  ''Joseph"  are  kept  as  a  valu- 
able personal  asset.  Human  nature  yet  remains 
very  human.  Concerning  data  for  the  "Joseph," 
Honeyman  states  thus:  "The  "belly"  is  thickest 
at  the  edges,  and  thinnest  throughout  the  central 
areas."  From  such  indefinite  description,  but  lit- 
tle can  be  learned.  Even  a  writer,  so  thoroughly 
equipped  by  education,  by  thorough  training  in 
violin  construction,  and,  by  opportunity  for  obser- 
vation as  Ed.  Herron  Allen,  refers  his  readers  to 
the  Strad  data  for  thickness  of  the  "Joseph"  ta- 
bles, although  claiming  to  have  had  M.  Sainton's 
Joseph  from  which  to  obtain  data. 

Strange! 

Here's  one  yet  more  strange.  I  sent  to  Paris  for 
M.  Simoutre's  book  and  charts  because  among 
those  charts  was  one  of  the  Joseph.  I  received 
that  book  with  the  Joseph  chart  cut  out. 

"Diable!" 

From  a  friend,  I  obtained  a  copy  of  a  chart  of 
the  "Joseph."  The  original  of  this  chart  was 
made  in  the  studio  of  Vuillaume.  From  the  chart 
I  received,  and  from  Honeyman' s  indefinite  de- 
scription of  the  Joseph,  I  gave  much  time  to  re- 
peated experiment.  Today  I'm  not  mourning  the 
loss  of  Simoutre's  chart;  and,  because  of  the  opin- 
ion that  is  impossible  for  any  one  to  give  more  time 
to  experiment  upon  the  possible  varieties  of  violin 

213 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

plate. thickness  than  I  have  given.  Charts  for  the 
Stradivari,  of  several  different  varieties  in  plate 
thickness,  are  quite  easily  obtained.  I  have  not 
only  given  repeated  trial  to  all  Strad  varieties  in 
plate  thickness,  but  have  also  given  many  trials  to 
the  obtainable  data  for  the  Joseph.  Between  these 
two  great  genii,  I  unhesitatingly  place  the  credit 
for  greater  tone-power,  and  greater  evenness  of 
tone-power  to  Joseph  Guarnerius.  For  the  greater 
duration  of  tone,  and  for  the  greater  sweetness  of 
tone,  I  place  the  credit  to  Stradivarius. 

The  method  of  plate-thickness  finally  adopted  by 
these  two  successful  experimentalists  is  presented 
for  the  purpose  of  making  my  lines  of  reasoning, 
leading  to  a  partly  new  method,  stand  out  in  a 
clear  light. 

Thus:  In  experiments  upon  the  Joseph  method, 
it  was  clearly  demonstrated  that  greater  tone- 
power  followed  placing  the  thinnest  point  in  the 
sounding-board  half-way  from  position  of  the 
bridge  to  ends  of  the  plate. 

Observe  the  two  following  facts  in  the  methods 
of  Strad  and  Joseph: 

(1)  Thinnest  point  beneath  all  the  strings  is 
equally  distant  from  position  of  the  bridge,  regard- 
less of  difference  in  weight  and  diameter  of  strings. 

(2)  Equal  thickness  of  the  plate  beneath  all 
strings,  regardless  of  the  difference  in  weight  and 
diameter  of  strings. 

At  this  moment  I  call  only  brief  attention  to  the 
differences  between  this  method  for  sounding- 
board  thickness  and  the  method,  (my  method)  for 

214 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

yet  greater  evenness  of  tone-power. 
The  favorite  method  of  Stradivari  is: 

(1)  Thinnest  point  in  the  sounding-board  is  at 
the  greatest  practical  distance  from  the  bridge  for 
all  strings  without  regard  to  differences  in  weight 
and  diameters  of  strings. 

(2)  Sounding-board  thickness  is  equal  beneath 
all  strings  without  regard  to  difference  in  weight 
and  diameter  of  strings. 

Comparing  the  new  method,  thus: 

(1)  Thinnest  point  beneath  the  G-string  is  at 
greatest  practical  distance  from  position  of  bridge. 

(2)  Thinnest  point  beneath  the  D-string  is  less 
distant  than  for  the  G. 

(3)  Thinnest  point  beneath  the  A-string  is  less 
distant  than  for  the  D. 

(4)  Thinnest  point  beneath  the  E-string  is  less 
distant  than  for  the  A. 

(5)  At  position  of  the  bridge,   greatest  sound- 
ing-board thickness  is  beneath  the  G. 

(6)  At  position  of  bridge,  less  sounding-board 
thickness  for  D  than  for  G. 

(7)  At  position  of  bridge,  less  sounding-board 
thickness  for  A  than  for  D. 

(8)  At  position  of  bridge  less  sounding-board 
thickness  for  E  than  for  A. 

This  new  method  is  based  upon  both  fact  and 
theory. 

The  fact  is:  Strings  vary  in  weight  and  diame- 
ter; hence,  force  in  string  action  varies. 

Theory  is:  Sounding-board  thickness  beneath 
each  should  vary  as  the  diameter  and  weight  of 

215 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

strings;  and,  length  of  sounding-board  activity  be- 
neath each  string  should  vary  as  the  pitch  of  tones 
demanded  from  each  string. 

For  this  fact,  no  proof  is  needed;  it  is  self-evident; 
but  the  theory  needs  proof.  As  such  proof,  I  first 
offer  in  evidence  the  fact,  and  a  demonstration  for 
the  fact,  that  each  string  largely  (not  wholly)  de- 
pends upon  sounding-board  activity  directly  be- 
neath for  augmentation  of  tone.  For  such  demon- 
stration, I  offer  this  violin  as  a  sacrifice.  True,  'tis 
offering  up  but  the  one  for  the  benefit  of  the  many, 
yet,  somehow  I  feel  very  much  like  a ' 'wood  butch- 
er," that  is,  granting  any  feelings  to  the  "wood- 
butcher."  With  this  thin  blade,  I  proceed  to  split 
the  sounding-board  of  this  violin  in  various  places, 
and,  shall  continue  such  work  until  the  tone  of  all 
strings  is  completely  ruined. 

(1)  Beginning  at  the  lower  extremity  of  the 
right  exit,  I  split  the  sounding-board  down  to  the 
purging.     Application  of  the  bow  shows  no  damage 
whatever  to  tone  of  any  string  as  following  this 
split. 

(2)  Beginning  at  a  point  near  to,  and  below  the 
post,  I  split  the  sounding-board  down  to  the  lower 
end-block.     Application  of  the  bow  again  shows  no 
damage' to  tone  upon  any  string. 

(3)  Beginning  near  to,  and  below  the  bridge,  I 
split  the    sounding-board    along    the    center-join 
down  to  the  lower  end-block.    Again,  no  damage 
to  tone  of  any  string. 

(4)  Beginning  at  the  lower  extremity  of  the 
left!  exit,  I  split  the  sounding-board  down  to  the 

216 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 
I 

pur§ng.    Again,  no  damage  to  tone. 

(5)  Beginning  at  point  even  with  the  bridge, 
and  to  the  left  of  the  bar,   I  split  the  sounding- 
board  down  to  the  lower  end-block.    Although  not 
what  might  be  called  complete  ruin,  yet,   both  G 
and  D-tone  now  show  serious  damage. 

(6)  Beginning  below  the  bridge,   and  to  right 
of  bar,  I  split  the  sounding-board  down  to  lower 
end-block.    Damage  to  G  and  D-tone  is  increased, 
but  yet  no  injury  to  tone  appears  on  A  and  E. 

(7)  Beginning  at  a  point  even  with  the  bridge; 
and  one  inch  to  the  left,  I  split  the  sounding-board 
upward  to  the  purnhg.    From  this  split,   there  is 
only  slight  additional  damage  to  G-tone,  but,  there 
follows  no  additional  damage  to  D-tone. 

(8)  Beginning  at  the  bridge,  near  to,  and  to  the 
left  of  the  bar,  I  split  the  sounding-board  upward 
to  the  end-block.    G-tone  is  now  completely  ruin- 
ed, while  D-tone,  although  injured,  yet,  is  not  to- 
tally ruined. 

(9)  Beginning  at  the  bridge,  and  beneath  the 
D,  I  split  the  sounding-board  upward  to  the  end- 
block.    D-tone  is  now  completely  ruined,   while 
A-tone,  although  injured,  is  not  totally  ruined. 

(10)  As  before,  splitting  beneath  A  completely 
ruins  tone  of  that  string,  while  E-tone  is  but  par- 
tially ruined. 

(11)  As  before,  splitting  beneath  the  E  com- 
pletely ruins  tone  of  that  string. 

Thus  is  clearly  demonstrated  the  areas  of  sound- 
ing-board activity  upon  which  each  string  depends 
for  augmentation  of  tone-power;  and  their  definite 

217 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

location  proved  to  be  of  immense  value  to  the  pro- 
duction of  even  tone-power.  It  is  evident  that 
such  location  of  areas  pemits  of  precision  in  reduc- 
tion of  sounding-board  thickness  beneath  each 
string  proportionate  to  the  diameter  and  weight  of 
each  string. 

Thus  far,  proof  is  conclusive;  but,  the  next  step 
is  a  step  in  the  dark.  The  question  is,  "What  shall 
be  the  ratio  of  lengths  for  sounding-board  activity 
best  augmenting  the  tones  of  each  string?" 

The  ratio  for  shortening  the  piano  sounding- 
board  cannot  apply  to  the  violin;  nor  in  the  entire 
range  of  musical  devices  can  I  find  a  ratio  which 
may  apply  to  the  violin. 

In  stumbling  through  a  text-book  devoted  to  the 
philosophy  of  musical  sound,  I  found  a  ratio  for 
fifths  of  the  major  scale.  This  ratio  at  once  at- 
tracted my  attention,  and,  because  it  not  only 
points  out  the  difference  in  the  number  of  vibra- 
tions per  second  for  two  or  three  consecutive  fifths, 
but,  for  all  possible  fifths  in  the  major  scales.  It 
is  a  constant  ratio,  That's  the  kind  of  ratio  I 
now  am  wanting.  The  book  states  that  multiply- 
ing the  number  of  vibrations  for  any  tone  by  3-2, 
finds  the  number  of  vibrations  in  its  fifth  above. 
Wishing  for  certainty  in  this  matter,  I  proceed  to 
test  the  constancy  of  this  innocent-looking  ratio, 
3-2.  Helmholtz  states— you  know  Helmholtz— he 
must  be  German— I  think  so  anyway  because  he 
tells  us  more  about  the  philosophy  in  musical  sound 
than  all  other  philosophers  from  all  other  countries 
jumbled  together— Helmholtz  states  that  open  G, 

218 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

violin  at  concert  pitch,  vibrates  200  times  per  sec- 
ond; therefore,  if  200  be  multiplied  by  this  easy 
ratio,  3-2,  'twill  find  the  fifth  above  open  G;  200, 
times  3-2  equals  300;  300,  times  3-2  equals  450;  450, 
times  3-2  equals  675.  These  figures  do  represent 
the  open  tones  of  the  violin,  G,  D,  A,  E.  How 
easy!  This  philosopher  business  isn't  much  after 
all.  Anybody  can  run  it.  Yes,  if  3-2  works  for 
music,  it  certainly  ought  to  work  all  right  for 
the  violin;  yet,  I  do  recollect  cases  wherein  there 
appeared  no  visible  ratio  of  any  size  between  mus- 
ic and  the  violin.  But,  as  I'm  wanting  a  constant 
ratio  for  lengths  of  sounding-board  activity  be- 
neath violin  strings,  and,  as  no  other  ratio  than 
3-2  appears  taiit  the  violin,  therefore  I'm  bound  to 
try  3-2. 

Thus :  Considering  the  greatest  length  of  sound- 
ing-board activity  beneath  G  to  be  12  inches,  there- 
fore all  that's  needed  to  find  such  length  for  D  is 
to  use  this  innocent-looking  ratio,  3*2,.--  upon  ,  12; 
and,  12  multiplied  by  3-2  -equals  18— what!—  18 
inches  of  sounding-board  activity  for  D!  Wish  I" 
could  see  Helmholtz  for  a  minute.  -» 

In  life  there  is  a  thing  called  misplaced  confi- 
dence. Its  location  may  be  with  others  at  times;  at 
other  times  it  may  be  with  ourselves.  The  latter 
is  the  worst  kind— we  can't  cuss  Jones.  ' 

Yet,  notwithstanding  the  fact  of  being  led  away 
by  3-2,  I  gave  many  a'long  month  to  search  for  a 
ratio  which  would  apply  to  the  length  of  sounding- 
board  activity  beneath  the  strings.  But,  in  both 
waking  and  sleeping  hours,  wherever  and  when- 

219 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ever  I  looked  for  such  ratio,  there  stood  that  3-2 
like  the  proverbial  ghost.  It  would  neither  down, 
nor  get  up,  nor  go  away;  but  remained  as  unruffled 
as  a  wooden  Indian.  I  grew  to  hate  3-2;  but,  the 
more  I  hated  it  the  more  I  had  of  it.  In  despera- 
tion, I  searched  for  precedents  giving  relief  from 
phantoms.  I  recalled  successful  treatment  of  oth- 
ers who  were  suffering  from  "phantoms,"  but, 
mine  was  not  that  kind.  Late  one  sleepless  night 
my  long-looked-for  precedent  came.  It  was  the 
precedent  afforded  by  the  captain  of  a  Mississippi 
scow.  This  captain  hearing  about  a  new-fangled 
invention  which  was  capable  of  fortelling  approach 
of  storms,  invested  good  money  in  a  barometer, 
and  installed  the  same  near  the  steering  gear. 
Soon  thereafter  a  great  windstorm  threatened  to 
send  this  particular  scow  to  the  bottom.  The  bar- 
ometer, not  being  in  the  wind-storm  business,  calm- 
ly rested  in  an  indifferent  manner.  To  the  captain, 
the  difference  between  a  wind-storm  and  a  thund- 
er and  lightning  rainstorm  cut  no  ice.  Feeling 
himself  the  victim  of  misplaced  confidence,  the 
captain  seized  upon  that  impassive  barometer  and 
turned  it  up-side  down.  Here  was  my  preced- 
ent. Because  that  captain  thereafter  made  a 
successful  "tie-up,"  therefore  I  jumped  up,  seized 
upon  this  impassive  3-2  and  turned  it  up-side  down. 

Then  I  slept. 

I  confess  that  this  new  ratio,  2-3,  is  a  mere  whim; 
but,  the  violin  itself  is  a  product  of  whims.  Dur- 
ing its  first  200  years  of  development,  the  violin 
owes  everything  to  whims;  then;  because  two 

220 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

lucky  whim-ers  became  genii,  luck  seems  to  have 
abandoned  the  class;  that  is,  did  we  but  trust  the 
old  violin  promoter.  I  think  by  the  200-year  prec- 
edent, 'tis  now  time  for  more  luck. 


221 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 
LECTURE  XV. 

GENTLEMEN:  Maximum  evenness  of  violin  tone 
-is  resumed.  It  is  a  wise  provision  of  law  that 
proof  must  precede  conviction.  It  is  sometimes 
wise  to  suspend  judgement  upon  mere  assertions 
until  after  presentation  of  proof,  except  those  cases 
wherein  proof  is  self-evident.  Thus  the  statement 
that  errors  in  graduation  of  the  violin  sounding- 
board  operate  to  cause  uneven  tone-power  is  an 
assertion  needing  proof,  because  proof  is  not  self- 
evident.  The  experienced  violin  tone-regulator 
understands  such  proof;  but,  as  there  are  many 
interested  in  the  violin  without  having  any  experi- 
ence in  tone-regulation  work,  therefore  such  proof 
is  here  presented. 

In  connection  with  the  statement  and  proof  that 
errors  in  sounding-board  operate  to  cause  uneven 
tone-power,  it  is  interesting  to  note  the  wide  vari- 
ations in  such  thicknesses  employed  by  the  cele- 
brated builders  of  200  years  ago;  also,  to  note  the 
wide  variations  by  different  writers  concerning 
such  thicknesses.  From  the  evidence  thus  obtain- 
ed it  is  clear  that  extremes  in  plate  thickness  were 
represented  by  Stainer,  for  greatest  thickness, 
and  by  Stradivarius,  and  Joseph  Guarnerius  for 
least  plate  thickness,  thus: 

Stainer,  at  the  position  of  bridge,  5  mm,  down 
near  the  edges  to  1  mm.  Stradivarius,  at  the  po- 
sition of  bridge,  2  and  8-10  mm,  down  near  the 
edges  to  2  and  7-10  mm.  These  figures  are  given 
by  Simoutre,  Paris,  1885,  violin  maker  and  collec- 
tor. But,  it  is  clearly  in  evidence  that  we  should 

222 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

not  consider  these  figures  for  plate  thicknesses  by 
Stradivarius  as  being  the  only  figures  employed  by 
this  tireless  experimenter.  Simoutre's  figures  are 
for  a  Strad  of  1707;  whereas  Honeyman  gives  fig- 
ures for  plate  thicknesses  of  a  Strad,  1708,  as  1-8 
throughout  the  entire  plate.  It  is  thoughtful  of 
anyone,  when  referring  to  a  particular  Strad  violin, 
to  give  its  date,  because  the  date  assists  in  making 
clear  to  the  reader  both  model  and  plate  thickness- 
es. To  the  experienced  tone-regulator,  it  is  at 
once  apparent  that  the  difference  in  plate  thickness- 
es of  the  Strad,  as  given  by  Simoutre  and  Honey- 
man, operates  to  cause  a  difference  in  tone-pitch, 
and,  in  duration  of  tone.  Thus,  from  Simoutre's 
figures,  tone-pitch  will  be  the  lower,  duration  of 
tone  greater,  also,  permitting  use  of  lighter  strings. 
Although  this  difference  in  plate  thickness  is  but 
slight,  yet  it  is  ample  to  cause  perceptible  change 
in  tone-pitch,  duration  of  tone,  and  volume  of  tone, 
because  plate  thickness  is  down  near  to  the  limit  of 
safety.  By  "limit  of  safety"  is  meant  that  degree 
of  thickness  below  which  weakness  of  tone  follows. 
There  is  another  200-year  fact  which  seems 
worthy  of  presentation  with  the  lighter  200-year 
sounding-board.  Thus:  Two  hundred  years  ago, 
concert  pitch  varied  according  to  locality,  from  A, 
405  vibrations  per  second  at  Paris,  to  451i  at 
Milan.  It  is  but  natural  to  connect  the  fact  of 
low  concert  pitch  at  Paris  with  the  fact  that  at 
Paris  the  Strad  violins  at  once  acquired  a  degree 
of  favor  never  acquired  in  Italy.  I  mean  violins  of 
Strad 's  third  period.  This  statement  is  based  up- 

223 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

on  evidence  of  Italian  musicians  given  to  me  per- 
sonally. "Tis  but  little  more  than  a  decade 
since  "normal"  pitch,  or  diapason  normal,  or  in- 
ternational pitch  was  established  with  A  at  435.  It 
is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  reducing  concert  pitch  to 
A,  435,  greatly  accommodates  those  worn,  weaken- 
ed, originally  light  200-year  sounding-boards  yet  in 
use.  'Tis  but  natural  for  the  student  to  ask, 
"When  those  old  sounding-boards  are  gone,  will 
concert  pitch  be  raised?"  This  question  possesses 
interest  for  every  violin  tone-regulator. 

When  a  violin  is  carefully  adjusted  in  sounding- 
board  rigidity,  bridge  rigidity,  quality,  mass,  and 
position  of  post  for  guage-2  strings  tuned  to  A,  435, 
thereafter  tuning  A  to  450,  is  but  inviting  disaster 
to  tone- values.  Again,  when  a  violin  sounds  equally 
well  at  either  pitch,  such  violin  is  not  tone-regulat- 
ed with  care.  From  any  point  of  view,  'tis  but 
wisdom  to  settle  down  upon  a  universal  pitch  for 
all  concert  instruments,  because  then  the  violin 
builder  might  do  tone-regulation  with  precision, 
thereby  avoiding  unmerited  adverse  criticism  for 
putting  out  violins  which  will  not  stand  at  various 
pitches  at  the  caprice  of  various  conductors. 

Neither  in  any  200-year  sounding-board,  nor  in 
any  later  sounding-board  have  I  found  a  method 
for  graduation  based  upon  the  self-evident  fact 
that  force  in  violin  strings  varies  as  their  diameter 
and  weight.  Considering  evenness  of  tone-power 
to  be  a  valuable  feature  of  violin  tone,  and  know- 
ing that  no  200-year  violin  builder  made  provision 
in  sounding-board  rigidity  for  diminished  force  in 

224 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

the  lighter  strings,  I  therefore  discredit  the  oft- 
repeated  statement  that  the  violin  reached  perfec- 
tion 200  years  ago. 

In  proof  of  correctness  in  my  position,  I  now 
present  a  method  for  sounding-board  graduation 
based  upon  two  facts,  thus: 

1.  Force  in  violin  strings  varies  as  string  diam- 
eters and  weight. 

2.  Augmentation  of  high-pitched  tones  demand 
both  shorter  and  lighter  sounding-board  fibers  be- 
neath them. 

The  violin  world  has  stood  still,  and  with  its  gaze 
fixed  upon  Cremona,  while  the  piano  sounding- 
board  has  developed  such  evenness  of  tone-power 
and  such  quality  of  tone  as  threatens  to  rob  "the 
king"  of  its  title.  In  this  connection,  the  piano 
sounding-board  possesses  interest  for  the  violin 
student.  Its  shortened  fibers  and  diminished  thick- 
ness from  beneath  bass  strings  to  beneath  the 
lightest  and  shortest  strings  is  a  broad  hint  to  such 
violin  devotees  as  can  see  nothing  but  "Cremonen- 
sis  faciebat." 

At  a  previous  hour,  a  practical  demonstration 
was  submitted  as  showing  that  each  violin  string 
largely  depends  upon  sounding-board  fiber  directly 
beneath  for  augmentation  of  tone.  These  three 
violins,  designated  by  M.  N.  R.  incidentally  afford 
corroboration  for  the  above  fact;  but  at  this  mo- 
ment, these  violins  are  submitted  as  proof  that  un- 
evenness  in  violin  tone-power  is  caused  by  errone- 
ous graduation  of  the  sounding-board.  Each  of 
these  sounding  boards  is  graduated  after  a  diff er- 

225 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ent  method.  For  a  purpose,  the  sounding-boards 
on  M  and  N  are  given  slightly  exaggerated  reduc- 
tion in  thickness.  The  sounding-board  of  R  is  giv- 
en a  thickness  of  i  throughout. 

Violin  M,  graduated  thus: 

At  bridge,  beneath  G  and  D,  9-64;  thence  down 
at  ends  to  4-64. 

At  bridge,  beneath  A  and  E,  4-64;  thence  down 
at  ends  to  4-64. 

Violin  N,  graduated  thus: 

At  bridge,  beneath  G  and  D,  4-64;  thence  down 
at  ends  to  4-64. 

At  bridge,  beneath  A  and  E,  9-64;  thence  down 
at  ends  to  4-64. 

Violin  R,  graduated  thus: 

Thickness  of  sounding-board  throughout  i. 

I  will  first  apply  the  bow  upon  A  and  E  strings 
of  violin  M.  Beneath  these  strings,  sounding- 
board  rigidity  is  greatly  reduced  from  position  of 
bridge  to  ends  of  plate.  It  is  apparent  that  a  great- 
er length  of  fiber-activity  cannot  be  given  to  the 
14  inch  sounding-board.  You  observe  that  the  fun- 
damental tones  of  these  strings  are  characterized 
by  unusual  volume,  by  low  tone-pitch,  by  feeble 
intensity,  and  by  freedom  from  noise.  These  ef- 
fects upon  tone  are  expected  by  the  experienced 
tone-regulator;  and,  the  explanation  is  found  in 
the  fact  that  diminishing  thickness  of  a  tone-pro- 
ducing agent,  other  dimensions  remaining  equal, 
lowers  tone-pitch;  that  lengthening  perpendicular, 
confined  air  columns  lowers  tone-pitch;  that,  as 
volume  of  tone  increases,  intensity  of  tone  dimin- 

226 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ishes;  that  as  power  of  tone  diminishes,  noise  dis- 
appears. But,  the  next  tone-phenomenon  on 
these  strings  goes  begging  for  an  explanation.  I 
now  draw  out  two  octaves  upon  each  of  these 
strings.  As  you  observe,  each  successive,  higher 
tone  is  characterized  by  increasing  loss  of  power. 

"Mr.  Tone-regulator,  please  explain?" 

"No?" 

I  know  not  where  others  may  turn  for  this  ex- 
planation; but,  I  turn  to  the  modern  piano  sound- 
ing-board, and  to  the  modern  piano  designer.  I 
ask  him,  "Why  do  you  constantly  shorten  fiber- 
activity  beneath  succeeding  tones  of  higher  pitch?" 
I  am  not  surprised  at  his  elevated  eyebrows  as  he 
asks  me,  "Are  you  from  Cremona?" 

At  this  moment,  G  and  D- string  tones,  violin  M, 
have  no  further  interest  than  baritone  character 
and  fair  duration. 

Violin  N,  sounding-  board  graduated  the  reverse 
of  M,  greatly  changes  tone-character  of  its  G  and 
D.  The  tone  from  these  strings  is  also  character- 
ized by  low  pitch,  by  great  volume,  by  feeble  in- 
tensity, and  by  freedom  from  noise. 

Of  these  three  violins,  R  possesses  much  the 
greater  tone-value.  Only  its  altissimo  tone-pow- 
er is  here  in  point.  As  I  draw  two  octaves  from 
this  E,  you  observe  perceptible  diminution  in  pow- 
er from  successively  higher  tones.  From  the  tone 
of  these  three  violins,  I  reach  the  following  con- 
clusions: 

1.  In  violin  M,  length  of  fiber-activity  beneath 
A  and  E-strings  is  too  great,  and  rigidity  too  great- 

227 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ly  reduced. 

2.  Ditto,  violin  N,  beneath  its  G  and  D. 

3.  Violin  R,  rigidity  too  great  beneath  its  A  and 
E.    From  my  point  of  view,  these  violins  afford 
conclusive  evidence  that  erroneous  graduation  of 
the  sounding-board    causes   unevenness  in  tone- 
power. 

These  violins  also  afford  conclusive  evidence  that 
each  string  depends  upon  fiber-activity  directly  be- 
neath for  augmentation  of  tone;  also,  that  length 
of  fiber-activity  should  vary  as  the  pitch  of  tones; 
also,  that  rigidity  of  the  sounding-board  fibers 
should  vary  as  the  force  in  strings.  Standing  out 
in  a  clear  light,  these  reasons  led  me  to  work  out  a 
method  for  sound-board  graduation  intended  as 
a  practical  demonstration  for  its  value  in  securing 
maximum  tone-evenness.  As  previously  stated, 
this  method  was  applied  to  but  a  single  violin  be- 
cause my  time  for  work  came  to  an  abrupt  termin- 
ation; but,  you  have  my  assurance  that  the  results 
are  encouraging  in  a  high  degree.  I  give  assur- 
ance that,  as  a  solo  instrument,  there  is  a  vast  dif- 
ference in  tone-values  favoring  that  sounding- 
board  having  provision  in  rigidity  for  varying  force 
in  strings,  and  having  provision  in  length  of  fiber- 
activity  for  tones  of  higher  pitch. 

By  no  means  do  I  claim  that  the  following  details 
reach  perfection;  and  I  not  only  grant  permission, 
but  also  request  younger  students  to  improve  upon 
them.  I  do  not  claim  2-3  to  be  the  best  ratio  for 
diminishing  lengths  of  fiber  activity  beneath  violin 
strings.  I  only  claim  2-3  to  be  a  ratio  stumbled 

228 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

upon  in  an  effort  to  banish  that  3-2  ratio  for  fifths 
in  our  present-day  major  scale.  Having  presented 
the  principles  leading  up  to  details  for  maximum 
evenness  of  tone-power,  I  now  present  such  prin- 
ciples and  details  in  condensed  form. 
These  principles  are: 

1.  Greatest  thickness  beneath  G. 

2.  Thickness  diminished  from  G  to  D. 

3.  Thickness  diminished  from  D  to  A. 

4.  Thickness  diminished  from  A  to  E. 

5.  Length  of  fiber  activity  greatest  beneath  G. 

6.  Length  of  fiber-activity  diminished  from  G 
toD. 

7.  Length  of  fiber-activity  diminished  from  D 
to  A.  •" 

8.  Length  of  fiber-activity  diminished  from  A 
to  E.  ®T  ^1 

Thus,  one  of  these  principles  refers  or  is  applied 
to  sounding-board  thickness  beneath  each  string; 
the  other  principle  applies  to  length  of  fiber-activi- 
ty beneath  each  string.  In  practical  application  of 
the  latter  principle,  it  is  evident  that  fiber-activity 
beneath  G,  must  be  determined  first.  Here  is  an- 
other chasm  across  this  path  which  I  bridged  with 
surmise  or  "guess."  As  you  may  have  observed, 
there  are  emergencies  besetting  life's  path  for 
which  the  only  recourse  is '  'guessing. "  Of  a  truth, 
such  emergencies  may  be  found  in  the  violin  with- 
out use  of  the  field-glass.  In  the  matter  of  deter- 
mining the  precise  length  of  fiber-activity 
in  each  violin  sounding-board,  I  know  of  nothing 
reliable.  From  the  evidence  afforded  by  varnish 

229 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

phenomenon  No.  1,  I  "guess"  that  one  inch  at  each 
end  of  the  sounding-board  does  not  act  with  suffi- 
cient energy  to  produce  audible  sound.  Basing 
conclusion  upon  this  guess,  the  greatest  possible 
length  of  fiber-activity  is  12  inches.  Taking  this 
length  of  fiber-activity  beneath  G  as  a  starting 
point,  and,  applying  thereto  the  ratio  2-3,  finds 
length  of  fiber-activity  beneath  the  D,  to  equal  8 
inches.  Again,  applying  2-3  to  8,  finds  length 
of  fiber-activity  beneath  A,  to  equal  5,  and 
33-100  inches.  Again,  2-3  of  5  and  33-100  equals 
8  and  77  100  inches  as  the  length  of  fiber-activity 
beneath  E. 
Condensed  thus: 
Fiber-activity  beneath  G,  12  in. 
Fiber-activity  beneath  D,  8  in. 
Fiber-activity  beneath  A,  5  and  33-100  in.  rr 
Fiber-activity  beneath  E,-8and  77-100  m.  -3 loo 
In  using  the  term  "fiber-activity"  there  is  diffi- 
culty in  making  my  meaning  clear.  It  is  clear  that 
12  inches  of  fiber-activity  beneath  G,  is  practically 
the  limit;  and,  to  secure  this  length,  sounding- 
board  thickness  must  gradually  diminish  from 
bridge-position  to  ends  of  the  plate,  and  diminish 
down  to  a  thickness  which  is  the  limit  of  safety. 
In  the  well  known  Stainer  method,  thickness  at 
this  point  is  reduced  to  1  mm,  or,  1-25  inch,  and 
this  point  he  places  equally  distant  from  the  bridge 
beneath  all  strings.  In  my  details  herein  present- 
ed, thickness  at  this  point  is  only  reduced  to  4-64, 
or, ,1-16  inch;  and,  this  point  varies  in  distance 
from  the  bridge  by  the  ratio  2-3.  Therefore,  by  the 

230 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

term  "fiber-activity,"  I  mean  the  distance  above 
and  below  the  bridge  between  two  points  of  great- 
est reduction  in  sounding-board  thickness.  Thus, 
in  the  case  of  fiber-activity  beneath  D,  one-half  of 
the  length,  or  4  inches,  is  above,  and  one-half  be- 
low the  bridge  position;  ditto  A,  and  E.  But,  be- 
cause of  placing  the  bridge  8  inches  from  upper 
end  of  plate,  therefore  bridge-position  is  not  at  the 
half-way  point  in  the  length  of  fiber-activity  be- 
neath G,  7  inches  of  such  length  being  above,  and 
5  inches  being  below  bridge-position. 

Condensed  thus: 

Above  bridge,  fiber-activity  beneath  G,  7  in. 

Below  bridge,  fiber-activity  beneath  G,  5  in. 

Above  bridge,  fiber-activity  beneath  D,  4  in. 

Below  bridge,  fiber-activity  beneath  D,  4  in. 

Above  bridge,  fiber-activity  beneath  A,  2  and 
66-100  in. 

Below  bridge,  fiber-activity  beneath  A,  2  and 
66-100  in. 

Above  bridge,  fiber-activity  beneath  E,  1  and 
38-100  in. 

Below  bridge,  fiber-activity  beneath  E,  1  and 
38-100  in. 

(Obviously,  those  fibers  beneath  G  and  D,  must 
receive  identical  treatment  above  and  below  the 
•bridge;  but,  those  fibers  beneath  A  and  E,  do  not 
necessarily  need  identical  treatment  above  and  be- 
low the  bridge,  because  the  post  prevents  action  of 
those  fibers  from  passing  its  position  as  previously 
demonstrated  by  splitting  the  lower  right-quarter 
of  the  sounding-board.  However,  'tis  but  natural 

231 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

to  give  identical  care  to  thickness  throughout  the 
plate.) 

Thus,  the  details  for  lengths  of  fiber-activity  be- 
neath the  strings  are  presented.  The  difficulty  in 
making  these  details  stands  out  in  a  clear  light, 
without  aid  of  diagrams,  is  apparent.  In  this  mat- 
ter, failure  will  cause  me  no  surprise;  but,  you  may 
understand  my  willingness  to  be  "interviewed." 
Tis  the  best  I  can  offer. 

Next  come  details  for  thickness.  First,  thick- 
nesses are  established  at  bridge-position.  Before 
giving  figures  for  thickness,  it  is  necessary  to  ex- 
plain that  the  grain  of  this  sounding-board  possess- 
es slightly  too  great  density  to  yield  the  "rich" 
tone;  that  they  are  faultless  in  every  other  feat- 
ure; that  this  sounding-board  has  been  in  the  ser- 
vice of  two  generations;  that  its  shrinkage  is  com- 
pleted; and,  that  its  spring-action  is  superlative. 
Without  these  facts,  the  following  figures  for  thick- 
ness might  appear  to  pass  beyond  the  limit  of  safe- 
ty. By  no  means  do  I  advise  adopting  these  fig- 
ures as  thickness  for  all  samples  of  sounding-board 
wood.  With  wood  of  softer  grain,  and  with  less 
time  from  the  builder's  hands,  I  would  hesitate  be- 
fore reducing  thickness  to  4-64  at  the  ends  of  fib- 
er-activity beneath  the  A  and  E,  as  per  details. 

In  this  case,  desiring  the  baritone  character  for 
the  G,  thickness,  at  bridge-position,  is  reduced  to 
9-64;  next,  thickness,  at  bridge-position,  beneath 
E,  is  reduced  to  7-64;  and,  thickness  is  gradually 
diminished  from  G  to  E.  Thus,  immediately  at 
bridge-position,  some  degree  of  provision  is  made 

232 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

for  diminished  force  in  the  strings.  Although  the 
following  table  gives  precise  figures  for  thickness 
beneath  each  string  at  bridge-position,  yet,  change 
in  thickness  beneath  the  strings  is  not  abrupt,  but, 
is  shaded  down  gradually. 

Condensed  thus: 

Plate  thickness  beneath  G,  9-64. 

Plate  thickness  beneath  D,  9-64. 

Plate  thickness  beneath  A,  8-64. 

Plate  thickness  beneath  E,  7-64. 

(In  sounding-board  wood  of  soft  grain,  I 
have  observed  the  thickness  of  1-8,  at  bridge-posi- 
tion, to  pass  beyond  the  limit  of  safety,  as  shown 
by  weakened  tone-power  in  the  D-string,  often  in 
both  D  and  A.  This  phenomenon  is  worthy  of  at- 
tention. As  a  remedy  for  such  weakened  tone- 
power,  I  have  met  with  considerable  success  from 
gluing  a  block  of  pine  across  the  inner  surface  of 
the  plate  at  bridge-position.  The  dimensions  of 
the  block  are:  Thickness,  1-8;  width,  3-8;  length, 
3-4.  Whenever  weak  tone  in  D  and  A;  is  caused 
by  light  sounding-board,  this  block  operates  to 
raise  tone-pitch,  and  increase  tone-power  of  the  D 
and  A,  but,  in  nowise  affecting  tone  of  G  and  E. 
It  is  my  conclusion  that  lightness  of  wood  at 
bridge-position  operates  to  lengthen  fiber-activity 
beneath  D  and  A,  thus  permitting  action  to  pass 
between  bridge-pedestals.  Evidently,  the  block 
arrests  action  at  bridge-position.) 

In  this  experiment,  thickness  is  equal  at  the  ends 
of  fiber-activity  throughout;  that  is,  4-64.  Refer- 
ring to  the  table  for  lengths  of  fiber-activity,  it  is 

233 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

observed  that,  beneath  E,  the  distance  each  way 
from  bridge-position  to  the  point  where  thickness 
reduced  to  4-64,  is  but  1  and  38-100  inches;  beneath 
A,  but  2  and  66-100  inches. 

I  confess  that  such  reduction  at  these  points  re- 
quires "nerve;"  at  least  in  my  own  case.  But,  I 
am  careful  that  the  thickness  of  4-64  does  not  ex- 
tend along  the  fibers  to  exceed  1-2  inch.  Because 
these  lengths  of  fiber-activity  are  determined  by  a 
constant  ratio,  therefore  a  line,  drawn  across  their 
extremities,  runs  obliquely  across  the  plate;  and, 
along  this  line,  thickness  is  reduced  to  4-64;  and, 
from  bridge-position,  thickness  gradually  diminish- 
es down  to  such  extremities.  From  4-64  to  ends  of 
the  plate,  thickness  gradually  increases  to  9-64. 

Thus  is  the  description  of  details  which  vary  from 
customary  details  in  sounding-board  graduation. 
Treatment  of  the  bar,  being  the  same  as  hereto- 
fore described,  is  not  here  in  point. 

Doubtless,  further  experiment  will  discover  a 
better  ratio  for  lengths  of  fiber- activity.  Had  I 
been  permitted  more  time  for  work,  trial  would 
have  been  given  to  3-4  as  such  ratio. 

However,  'tis  but  wisdom  to  trust  that  bridge 
which  permits  us  to  pass  safely  over  it.  The  ratio 
2-3  did  serve  me  well,  for  equal  evenness  in  violin 
tone-power  mine  ear  hath  not  heard. 

Good  luck  to  you,  little  ratio. 

May  you  meet  your  200-year  relatives  in  Cremona 
heaven. 


234 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 
LECTURE  XVI. 

GENTLEMEN:  At  this  hour  the  subject  of  maxi- 
mum violin  tone-power  is  presented.  Today  the 
greatest  power  in  violin  tone  attracts  great- 
er attention  from  violin  users,  violin  build- 
ers, and  violin  students  than  at  any  other 
period  in  violin  history.  The  cause  for  this  fact  is 
found  in  the  increased  seating  capacity  of  the  mod- 
ern auditoria.  Man  is  a  gregarious  animal,  and  a 
lover  of  music;  and,  for  some  occult  reason,  his  en- 
joyment of  music  is  as  the  square  of  his  numbers. 
Without  doubt,  this  fact  is  due  to  the  geometric 
progression  of  sympathetic  mental  action.  Thus, 
when  but  a  single  listener  is  present  at  rehearsal, 
sympathetic  action  remains  at  zero;  a  fact  demon- 
strated by  conspicuous  absence  of  demonstration. 
Upon  addition  of  another  listener,  sympathetic  ac- 
tion develops  as  the  square  of  two;  whereat,  the 
single  listener  becomes  conscious  of  added  enjoy- 
ment. To  the  musician,  such  increase  in  enjoy- 
ment by  the  listener  is  a  greater  stimulus  than  the 
stimulus  of  fine  gold. 

'Tis  ever  an  object  of  human  ambition  to  accom- 
plish great  feats.  'Tis  the  violin  soloist's  ambition 
to  please  his  patrons  in  the  larger  auditoria  equally 
with  the  patrons  in  the  smaller  auditoria.  Such 
ambition  is  laudable,  but,  the  difficulties  are  rapid- 
ly approaching  the  unsurmountable.  Hence  the 
"big"  price  for  violins  of  big  tone.  But,  the  pres- 
ent demand  for  violins  of  "big"  tone  is  an  unnec- 
essary weakness  in  violin  users.  From  the  thous- 
ands devoting  their  utmost  energy  to  the  violin, 

235 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

but  a  limited  number  ever  will  be  called  upon  for 
an  appearance  in  the  larger  auditoria.  Only  genius 
combined  with  almost  superhuman  drudgery  can 
command  widest  patronage  for  the  violin  soloist  of 
today.  Thus,  there  is  but  a  limited  employment 
for  violins  of  "big"  tone;  but,  'tis  our  weakness  to 
bestow  an  admiring  glance  upon  that  party  who 
says,  "Your  violin  has  a  big  tone." 

"Pis  said  '  'we  should  take  humanity  as  we  find 
it;"  but  because  of  implied  permission  not  to  leave 
humanity  as  we  find  it,  therefore  I  say  that  it  is  a 
compliment  of  vastly  greater  value  when  a  compe- 
tent party  says,  '  Tour  violin  has  a  beautiful  tone. ' ' 
Such  statement  is  based  upon  the  fact  that  music 
is  nothing  if  not  beautiful.  I  do  not  mean  that 
' 'big"  violin  tone  may  not  be  beautiful;  but,  do 
mean  that  distance  of  the  listener  should  be  pro- 
portionate to  "bigness"  of  tone.  In  the  smaller 
auditoria,  in  studio,  or  in  apartment,  "big"  tone 
causes  distress  to  the  cultivated  ear,  no  matter 
what  the  skill  in  bowing.  These  conclusions  are  bas- 
ed upon  the  general  understanding  of  the  meaning 
in  the  word  "big"  as  applied  to  violin  tone.  Thus 
employed,  "big"  tone  means  marked  volume  of 
tone  combined  with  marked  intensity  of  tone. 
This  combination  is  rare;  and,  to  the  best  of  my 
observation,  is  rare  because  of  the  rarity  of  sound- 
ing-board wood  possessing  superlative  spring-ac- 
tion. This  statement  is  based  upon  repeated  fail- 
ures to  produce  "big"  tone  at  will.  Thus,  with 
every  other  factor  at  its  best  for  augmenting  vol- 
ume and  intensity  of  tone,  yet,  lack  of  superlative 

236 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

spring-action  in  sounding-board  wood  may  defeat 
"big"  tone. 

In  situations  where  space  is  proportionate,  "big" 
violin  tone  may  become  agreeable.  It  is  a  fact  that 
noise  is  disagreeable  as  its  proximity.  It  is 
also  a  fact  that  the  noise-wave,  from  all  violins, 
travels  only  to  comparatively  short  distances,  ex- 
cept in  cases  of  woody  tone-quality.  Because  vio- 
lins of  marked  woody  tone-quality  have  no  'value, 
therefore  such  violins  are  not  included  in  my  mean- 
ing when  saying  that  the  violin  soloist  need  not  fear 
to  appear  in  the  larger  auditoria  with  a  modern 
violin  possessing  "big"  tone,  even  when  such  vtone 
is  somewhat  noisy  in  close  proximity.  There  are 
some  modern  violins  combining  "rich"  tone  with 
marked  volume  and  intensity  of  tone.  When 
heard  at  a  distance,  it  is  my  observation  that  but 
few  ears  are  sufficiently  acute  to  distinguish  any 
difference  between  the  tone  of  such  modern  violins 
and  the  tone  of  old  violins  yet  possessing  power. 

Violin  tone  has  ever  and,  and  undoubtedly  will 
ever  remain  separated  into  two  classes  by  reason 
of  two  irreconcilable  factors,  as: 

The  business  factor. 

The  aesthetic  factor. 

For  its  existence,  the  business  factor  has  no  oth- 
er object  than  profit;  and  its  income  is  reckoned  in 
hundredths  of  a  dollar. 

The  sethetic  factor  exists  alone  for  human  pleas- 
ure in  beautiful  sound;  its  income  is  a  donation, 
and  never  reckoned  at  all.  The  difference  in  these 
two  factors  is  as  wide  as  the  East  is  from  the  West. 

237 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

The  business  factor  dates  from  the  mists  prior  to 
the  time  of  Da  Salo.  The  aesthetic  factor  dates 
from  Cremona.  The  business  factor  always  has 
been,  and  yet  is  numerically  the  stronger.  The 
business  factor  demands  the  greatest  possible  vol- 
ume, and  the  greatest  possible  intensity  of  violin- 
tone.  The  aesthetic  factor  demands  greatest  pos- 
sible beauty  in  violin-tone;  yet,  to  satisfy  the  aes- 
thetic factor  is  a  difficult  matter.  Violin  aesthetic- 
ism  reckons  not  the  cost. 

To  ordinary  mortals,  violin  aestheticism  seems 
sometimes  to  run  into  madness.  Potency  in  violin 
aestheticism  is  second  only  to  potency  in  religion. 
The  potency  in  violin  aestheticism  created  the 
Thomas  Hall.  'Tis  not  at  all  necessary  to  state 
that  said  Hall  is  located  at  Chicago.  The  world 
learned  of  this  fact  by  electric  current. 

Nor  in  New  York,  nor  in  Boston,  nor  in  London, 
nor  in  Paris,  nor  in  Berlin,  nor  in  Vienna,  nor  in 
Milan,  nor  in  the  wide  world  is  there  a  parallel 
object  lesson  for  the  potency  in  old  violin  aesthe- 
ticism. 

Only  the  potency  in  religion  can  pick  up  a  simil- 
ar million  partly  from  beneath  the  feet  of  scrub 
women;  and,  such  women  exist  only  in  Chicago. 

Quartered  many  years  in  the  Auditorium,  the 
Thomas  Orchestra  found  nothing  for  complaint  ex- 
cept the  fact  that  a  large  part  of  its  patrons  could 
not  hear  first- violin  tone.  Such  complaint  was 
well  founded.  At  distant  seats,  conspicuous  ab- 
sence of  first-violin  tone  was  ample  for  disappoint- 
ment; and,  my  heart  cried  out  against  the  heart- 

238 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

lessness  displayed  in  forcing  these  old  violins  into 
a  situation  exciting  contempt  for  their  weakened 
tone-power. 

There  are  three  remedies  for  avoiding  such  dis- 
appointment, thus: 

1.  Replacing  the  deadening  carpet  of  wood-fiber, 
wood-dust,  or  dirt  within  these  old  violins  with  a 
permanent,  and  perfectly  smooth  surface. 

2.  By  substitution  of  modern  violins  having  ad- 
equate tone-power. 

3.  By  diminishing  seating  capacity  of  the  audi- 
torium. 

With  but  an  increase  of  35  per  cent  in  intensity 
of  first-violin  tone,  the  Thomas  orchestra  might 
have  remained  at  home  in  the  Auditorium  for  an 
indefinite  period,  thus  avoiding  acceptances  from 
scrub  wt>men. 

Naturally,  substitution  of  modern  violins  having 
.  adequate  tone-power  suggests  itself  as  the  first 
remedy  for  the  disappointment  in  not  hearing  first- 
violin  tone.  Herein  lies  the.  whole  difficulty  in  this 
case.  This  suggestion  points  to  the  employment 
of  the  modern  violin  for  interpretation  of  Haydn, 
Mozart  and  Beethoven  scores,  a  possibility  not  ad- 
mitted by  Dr.  Thomas.  Over  his  signature,  Dr. 
Thomas  states  that  '  'the  best  of  Cremona  violins, 
together  with  the  Tourte  bow,  inspired  the  master 
works  of  Haydn  and  Mozart."  To  this  statement 
there  is  no  dissent; 'but,  to  his  statement  that  the 
Cremona  violin  is  yet  a  necessary  vehicle  for  the 
intepretatibn  of  master  scores,  there  is  dissent; 
and,  such  dissent  comes  from  every  disappointed 

239 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

patron.  Were  those  older  composers  present  at 
rehearsal  in  the  Auditorium  doubtless  they  also 
would  join  in  such  dissent. 

Perhaps  there  is  nothing  concerning  the  "best'* 
of  the  Cremona  violins,  (the  Stradivari,  to  which 
Dr.  Thomas  particularly  alludes, )  more  firmly  es- 
tablished than  the  fact  that  the  "best"  are  worn 
out  by  those  disintegrating  forces,  heat  and  moist- 
ure; and,  that  "next  best"  are  so  nearly  worn  out 
as  to  possess  but  little  value  as  vehicles  for  inter- 
pretation of  either  great  or  small  compositions.  It 
is  safe  to  assume  that  none  of  these  old  violins  pos- 
sesses the  same  tone-vigor  as  on  the  day  when  in- 
spiring the  Haydns,  Mozarts,  and  Beethovens  of 
an  hundred  years  ago. 

The  third  remedy  for  removal  of  disappointment 
was  chosen.  This  example  of  devotion  to  a  de- 
lusion cost  a  round  million;  but,  that  million  cost 
nothing  more  than  stooping  to  pick  it  up.  By  all 
the  logic  in  history  and  philosophy,  another  decade- 
and-a-half  will  bring  yet  another  necessity  for  di- 
minishing seating  capacity. 

In  view  of  the  abundance  of  modern  violins  pos- 
sessing "rich"  tone  combined  with  ample  tone- 
power,  the  statement  of  Dr.  Thomas  concerning 
200-year  violins  as  "necessary  vehicles"  seems  to 
me  like  violin  aestheticism  run  mad. 

This  digression  is  made  for  a  purpose.  First: 
To  make  clear  the  error  in  claiming  the  200-year 
violin  to  be  a  "necessary"  vehicle  for  interpreta- 
tion of  100-year  compositions.  Second:  To  make 
the  fact  clear  that  the  listener  is  in  the  better  posi- 

240 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

tion  to  judge  first-violin  tone-values.  Basing  con- 
clusions upon  Dr.  Thomas'  statement,  we  are  com- 
pelled to  suppose  that  further  interpretation  of 
Haydn,  Mozart,  and  Beethoven  scores  must  cease 
with  "the  best  of  the  Cremona  violins."  It  is  my 
conviction  that  this  position  by  Dr.  Thomas  is  the 
result  of  old  violin  aestheticism'run  mad;  and  furth- 
er, that  his  position  will  be  proven  untenable  in 
the  near  future.  That  Dr.  Thomas'  statement  op- 
erates to  excite  contempt  for  the  modern  violin  is 
clearly  apparent;  also,  that  his  insistence  in  em- 
ploying none  but  old  violins  by  the  Thomas  orches- 
tra operated  to  cause  contempt  for  "the  best  Cre- 
monas"  as  is  in  evidence  by  the  disappointing  ex- 
periences of  an  army  of  patrons.  There  is  no  ques- 
tion about  interpretations  by  the  large  orchestra 
being  intended  for  the  pleasure  of  the  entire  audi- 
ence, and  not  intended  for  the  especial  pleasure  of 
the  conductor  and  occupants  of  the  front  rows. 
There  is  also  no  question  about  disappointment 
coming  upon  the  listener  at  not  hearing  first  violin 
tone  in  the  ensemble.  I  only  speak  for  myself  when 
saying  that  non-appearance  of  first-violin  tone  in 
orchestra  ensemble  is  a  non-artistic  interpretation, 
whether  the  score  be  100  years  old,  or  but  one  hour 
old.  In  speaking  thus,  I  do  not  mean  that  an  of- 
fensive over-balance  may  be  permitted  to  the 
strings.  Mere  loudness  of  violin  tone  without 
sweetness  is  offensive  in  both  solo  and  orchestra 
violins.  What  I  consider  as  the  most  valuable  fea- 
tures in  violin  tone  is  moderate  volume  combined 
with  sweetness,  evenness  of  power,  and  marked 

241 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

intensity.  Such  combination  of  tone-qualities  can- 
not become  offensive  to  the  listening  ear;  and,  there 
is  an  ample  supply  of  modern  violins  possessing 
such  combination  of  tone- values  for  the  needs  of 
large  orchestras  called  upon  for  interpretation  of 
Haydn,  Mozart,  and  Beethoven  scores,  or  the  scores 
of  any  master  composer  whatever.  This  point  brings 
us  to  details  for  the  production  of  maximum  violin 
tone-power. 

From  my  observation,  each  of  the  following  fac- 
tors must  be  at  its  best  for  the  production  of  max- 
imum violin  tone-power: 

1.  Sounding-board  wood:    Superlative  spring- 
quality. 

2.  Graduation:    Form  securing  greatest  force 
of  blow  upon  contained  air. 

3.  Back:    Density,  fine  texture,  sufficient  rig- 
idity. 

4.  Arching:    Form  producing  maximum  concen- 
tration of  sound-wave  movement  at  the  exits. 

5.  Bar:    Medium  density,  modeled  for  greatest 
spring-action,  position. 

6.  Exits:    Area,  position. 

7.  Interior  surfaces:    Permanent  smoothness. 

8.  Ribs:    Depth,  rigidity. 

9.  Blocks  and  linings:    Solidity. 

10.  Post:  Mass,  density,  length,  fitting,  position. 

11.  Cubic  capacity  of  body. 

12.  Varnish:     Quantity,  quality. 

13.  Bridge:    Mass,  density,  height,  span,  scroll- 
work, position. 

14.  Finger-board:    Length,  width,  height,  obli- 

242 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

quity  of  under  surface  to  exterior  surface  of  sound- 
ing-board. 

15.  Strings:    Diameter,  proportion,  number  of 
strands,  twist,  material. 

16.  Bow  stick:    Length,  weight,  balance,   cam- 
bre,  spring-action. 

17.  Bow  hair:  Male  equine,  evenness,  method  of 
assembling. 

18.  Rosin:    Quality,  quantity. 

19.  Meteoric  conditions:    Moderate  temperature, 
normal  humidity. 

20.  Elevation  above  sea  level. 

21.  Bow  arm:    Length,  condition,  training,  en- 
thusiasm. 

From  this  list  of  factors,  I  place  sounding-board 
wood  at  the  head;  and  this  conspicuous  position  is 
wholly  due  to  the  fact  that  I  have  not  been  able  to 
produce  maximum  violin  tone-power  without 
sounding-board  wood  possessing  superlative  spring- 
action,  and  also,  because  I  have  not  been  able  to 
find  such  wood  every  month,  nor  every  year,  nor 
every  decade.  In  fact,  but  a  few  times  in  fifty 
years  search  have  I  found  such  wood;  whereas,  the 
finding  of  hard  wood  possessing  density,  and  fine 
texture  has  been  comparatively  a  very  easy  matter. 

Only  limited  observation  is  necessary  to  deter- 
mine that  neither  softest  wood  nor  hardest  wood 
yield  maximum  resonance;  but,  widest  observation 
cannot  pre-determine  that  any  given  sample  of 
wood  will  yield  maximum  resonance  in  the  com- 
pleted violin.  Only  after  completion  and  trial  can 
the  degree  of  resonance  be  known  for  any  violin 

243 


t 

VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

from  the  hands  of  any  maker  whatever.  Two 
samples  of  sounding-board  wood  may  appear  pre- 
cisely similar;  yet,  in  the  completed  violin,  there 
may  be  a  wide  difference  in  resonance,  even  when 
details  of  construction  are  similar.  Thus,  the  pro- 
duction of  maximum  violin  tone-power  becomes  a 
matter  of  difficulty;  and,  such  difficulty  is  charge- 
able to  inherent  variations  in  the  spring-action  of 
wood. 

It  is  of  interest  to  note  the  fact  that  violins  of 
maximum  resonance  combined  with  "rich"  quality 
of  tone  are  rarities,  even  after  400  years  of  effort  to 
produce  them.  Manifestly,  there  is  some  obstacle 
preventing  production  of  such  violins;  otherwise, 
such  violins  would  be  in  abundant  supply.  The 
cause  for  such  rarity  may  not  appear  to  others  as 
it  appears  to  me;  but,  all  can  agree  upon  the  fact 
that  such  violins  command  a  high  price.  In  view 
of  the  fact  that  such  violins  are  scarce  today,  we 
may  safely  presume  that  such  violins  will  be  scarce 
tomorrow,  and  remain  scarce  to  an  indefinite 
period.  It  is  self-evident  that  the  cause  for  such 
scarcity  is  something  not  subject  to  the  command 
of  man. 

It  is  a  fact  of  every-day  demonstration  that 
spring-temper,  either  in  wood  or  metal,  is  some- 
thing known  only  as  a  result  of  action  following 
trial;  and,  such  result  cannot  be  pre-determined. 
Although  the  temperer  of  steel  springs  can  pro- 
duce either  "high,"  or  "low"  degrees  of  temper 
at  will,  yet,  to  produce  any  given  number  of  steel 
springs  possessing  precisely  similiar  action  is  a 

244 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

matter  of  difficulty;  and,  such  difficulty  arises  from 
two  causes:  (1)  Variations  in  molecular  arrange- 
ment in  different  samples  of  steel:  (2)  Inability 
to  pre-determine  such  variations.  In  practice,  it 
is  clearly  demonstrated  that  imperceptible  variat- 
ions in  density,  or  hardness  of  the  steel  spring,  pro- 
duces perceptible  variation  in  spring-action.  Al- 
so, that  value  of  the  steel  spring  depends  upon  its 
temper,  or  hardness,  or  density,  whichever  term 
may  be  chosen. 

Naturally,  we  wonder  what  would  be  the  result 
could  violin  sounding-board  wood  be  given  "tem- 
per" to  the  limit  of  desire. 

Shade  of  Colossus! 

Why  then,  the  present-day  violin  of  "big"  tone 
would 'nt  do  for  the  baby;  and,  the  largest  auditor- 
ium would' nt  do  for  a  stage;  and,  the  gender  of 
Music  would  needs  be  changed  to  "he;"  'twould 
kill  "her;"  and,  "he"  must  needs  be  deaf . 

Find  users? 

Believe  it. 

As  I  view  this  matter,  Nature  wisely  limits  man's 
possibilities in  the  violin. 

What  I  shall  say  about  appearances  of  sounding- 
board  wood  promising  maximum  resonance  of  tone, 
combined  with  "rich"  quality  of  tone,  is  presented 
only  as  the  observation  and  conclusion  of  one  indi- 
vidual; and,  such  conclusion  is  in  nowise  presented 
as  a  hard-and-fast  rule.  Upon  the  matter  of  re- 
sonance in  sounding-board  wood,  I  am  bound  to 
confess  that  infinite  surprises  have  awaited  my 
bow.  It  is  observed  that  maximum  resonance  of 

245 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

tone  is  combined  with  richness  of  tone.  I  desire 
that  this  combination  be  kept  in  the  foreground; 
because,  loudness  without  sweetness  reduces  vio- 
lin tone- value  to  insignificance.  No  fact  concern- 
ing violin  tone  stands  more  clearly  in  my  view  than 
the  fact  that  sounding-board  grain  may  be  so  dense 
as  to  make  "rich"  tone  an  impossibility;  whereas, 
mere  loudness  of  tone  follows  with  ease. 

From  the  softer  grades  of  pine,  "rich"  tone  may 
be  secured  with  considerable  certainty;  but,  from 
those  grades,  marked  power  of  tone  is  impossible. 
Again  the  fact  is  noted  that  great  volume  of  tone 
does  not  mean  great  intensity  of  tone.  Great  vol- 
ume of  tone  may  be  obtained  from  the  softer  wood; 
but  never  great  intensity  of  tone. 

The  vast  difference  between  volume  of  tone  and 
intensity  of  tone  is  brought  out  into  the  lime  light 
by  the  long-distance  test  in  open  air.  This  test  de- 
monstrates conclusively  that  great  volume  of  tone 
is  not  neccessary  for  great  power  of  violin-tone. 
Indeed,  I  have  not  observed  great  volume  of  tone 
and  great  intensity  of  tone  existing  together  in  the 
same  violin. 

In  my  observation,  the  physical  appearances  of 
sounding-board  wood  yielding  the  maximum  re- 
sonance combined  with  "rich"  tone-quality  are 
thus: 

Genus  pine. 

Maturity  of  tree  before  being  felled. 

Sample  free  from  heart-wood  and  sap-wood, 
knots,  curls,  cracks,  and  discolored  spots. 

Grain  perfectly  straight,  uniform  in  width,  neith- 

246 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

er  wide  nor  extremely  narrow. 

Color,  yellowish  red. 

Connective  tissue,  between  dense  parts  of  grain, 
rather  soft  and  flexible. 

Hard  part  of  grain  distinctly  marked. 

Wood  easily  subject  to  splitting. 

Splits  follow  a  straight  line. 

Shavings  rather  brittle  than  tough. 

Shavings  easily  split  up  into  threads. 

Difficulty  in  securing  a  smooth  surface. 

Medium  transmission  of  artificial  light. 

Plate  rather  pliable  than  rigid. 

Bent  plate  returns  to  its  point  of  rest  with  celer- 
ity. 

Unprotected,  heat  and  moisture  rapidly  develop 
a  carpet  of  wood  fiber. 

Disintegration  comparatively  rapid. 

Medium  density  of  grain. 

Thus  are  the  physical  qualities  of  my  ideal  sound- 
ing-board wood.  Such  wood,  with  correct  models 
of  arching,  correct  graduation,  correct  area  and  po- 
sition of  exits,  and  with  permanent  and  perfectly 
smooth  interior  surfaces  yields  ample  intensity  of 
tone  for  all  practical  uses  of  the  violin,  besides 
yielding  "rich"  tone.  As  you  remember,  "rich" 
violin  tone  depends  upon  the  presence  of  harmonic 
overtones,  and  harmonics  a  bassa,  or  resultant  tones', 
and,  that  such  harmonic  tones  cannot  be  coaxed  in- 
to an  appearance  by  the  sounding-board  of  dense 
grain. 

There  are  degrees  of  density  between  the  medi- 
um and  the  extremely  dense  which  possess  consid- 

247 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

erable  value;  and,  in  situations  where  noise 
abounds,  the  sounding-board  of  more  than  medium 
density  possesses  the  greater  value.  In  such  situ- 
ations, those  ethereal  tones  called  harmonics  are 
annihilated;  even  the  principal  tone  may  have  to 
struggle  for  existance;  therefore,  the  sounding- 
board  possessing  greatest  power  in  spring-action 
gives  the  greater  satisfaction  in  the  presence  of 
noise. 

But,  I  do  not  find  increasing  density  of  sounding- 
board  wood  to  be  continually  followed  by  increas- 
ing power  of  tone.  On  the  contrary,  I  find  weak- 
ened tone-power  following  extreme  density.  This 
result  might  be  pre- supposed;  and,  because  increas- 
ing density  is  followed  by  increased  rigidity;  and, 
increased  rigidity  is  followed  by  diminished  ampli- 
tude of  oscillation;  and  diminished  amplitude  of  os- 
cillation delivers  a  blow  of  diminished  force  upon 
contained  air;  hence  weakened  tone  follows. 

Method  of  graduation  has  much  to  do  with  vio- 
lin resonance.  At  this  moment,  graduation  of  the 
sounding  board  is  in  point.  Thickness  of  the 
sounding-board  may  be  so  great  or  so  reduced 
as  to  cause  weakness  of  tone.  As  precise  figures 
for  violin-plate  thickness  are  unreliable  guides, 
therefore  such  figures  are  not  presented.  In  my 
experience,  it  is  clearly  demonstrated  that  sound- 
ing-board thickness,  producing  greatest  force  of 
blows  upon  contained  air,  vary  with  each  sample 
of  sounding-board  wocd;  and,  for  this  rea- 
son, hard-and-fast  figures  for  thicknesses  are  un- 
reliable guides  more  frequently  leading  to  disaster 

248 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

than  to  success. 

It  is  apparent  that  rigidity  of  the  sounding-board 
should  be  determined  by  the  force  in  the  strings, 
since  blows  of  the  strings  must  be  the  only  reli- 
ance for  arousing  sounding-board  action.  There- 
fore, the  gauge  of  strings  must  be  first  determin- 
ed, and  thereafter,  rigidity  of  sounding-board,  in 
each  violin,  must  be  reduced  to  that  degree  deliv- 
ering the  maximum  blow  upon  contained  air,  and, 
such  degree  of  rigidity  can  be  determined  only 
by  trial.  Manifestly,  for  certainty  in  this  matter, 
there  is  no  alternative. 

The  point  is  to  know  when  each  sounding-board 
is  delivering  its  maximum  blow.  For  this  matter, 
I  know  of  no  hard-and-fast  rule,  unless  it  be  the 
rule  that  experience  must  govern.  I  can  truly  say 
that  much  experience  in  reducing  sounding-board 
rigidity  leads  one  to  err  on  the  safe  side  rather 
than  incur  disaster  by  too  great  reduction  of  rigid- 
ity. It  has  been  my  experience  that,  when  the  ex- 
act degree  of  rigidity  is  secured,  the  further  remov- 
al of  thinnest  shaving  weakens  the  force  of  blow 
upon  contained  air. 

For  securing  the  maximum  blow  upon  contained 
air  it  is  necessary  that  the  extent  of  both  normal 
and  transverse  vibratory  action  in  the  sounding- 
board  be  given  most  careful  consideration. 

(See  Appendix  for  explanation  of  normal  and 
transverse  vibration. ) 

As  these  actions  are  aroused  by  blows  of  the 
strings,  and,  as  the  strings  vary  in  diameter  and 
weight,  therefore,  rigidity  of  the  sounding-board 

249 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

must  vary  with  the  force  of  the  strings  for  produc- 
tion of  maximum  tone-power.  As  force  in  the  fi- 
shing is  less  than  that  of  the  A,  A  less  than  D, 
and  D  less  than  G,  therefore,  it  is  not  reasonable 
to  expect  maximum  vibratory  action  to  follow  that 
method  of  sounding-board  graduation  giving  equal 
rigidity  of  wood  to  all  strings  alike. 

In  discussing  that  vibratory  action  which  travels 
across  sounding-board  grain,  the  terms  "trans- 
verse" and  "tangential"  may  be  interchangeably 
employed,  since  practically,  each  term  has  the 
same  meaning.  In  practice,  increasing  the  dis- 
tance traveled  by  transverse  vibration  in  the  violin 
sounding-board  operates  to  increase  volume  of  tone; 
and,  such  increase  in  volume  of  tone  may  be  car- 
ried to  a  degree  causing  loss  to  intensity  of  tone. 
In  the  production  of  maximum  tone-power  this 
point  is  of  great  importance;  because  great  volume 
of  tone  does  not  mean  great  power  of  tone.  Great 
power  of  tone  means  the  distance  traveled  by  tone. 

In  the  violin  sounding-board,  the  distance  travel- 
ed by,  transverse  vibration  depends  upon  three 
factors: 

1.  Power  of  strings. 

2.  Rigidity  of  the  plate  along  lines  at  a  right 
angle  with  the  center-join. 

3.  Density  of  grain. 

Manifestly,  ;it  js  necessary  to  determine  first  up- 
on the  size,  or  gauge  of  strings.  Second,  to  dimin- 
ish rigidity  along  lines  at  a  right  angle  with  the  cen- 
ter-join to  that,  degree  permitting  the  strings  to 
.propel  transverse  vibration  as  far  from  the  center- 

250 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

join  as  desired.  Some  violin  makers  reduce  rigidi- 
ty along  these  lines  to  a  degree  permitting  force 
of  the  strings  to  propel  transverse  vibration  to  the 
edge  of  the  plate.  This  plan  invariably  operates 
to  increase  volume  of  tone;  but,  it  also  operates  to 
diminish  intensity  of  tone;  and,  the  reason  for  such 
loss  to  intensity  is  clearly  due  to  dispersion  of 
string-force.  It  is  my  observation  that,  to  produce 
maximum  violin  tone-power,  string-force  must  be 
concentrated  rather  than  dispersed;  and  therefore 
I  limit  the  distance  traveled  by  transverse  vibration. 

[It  is  necessary  to  bear  in  mind  the  fact  that  I 
employ  the  gauge-2  string,  because,  were  larger 
strings  employed,  greater  force  would  be  present; 
hence  greater  distance  of  travel  might  be  safely 
permitted  to  transverse  vibration.] 

There  are  two  methods  for  determining  the  dis- 
tance to  be  traveled  by  transverse  vibration  in  the 
violin  sounding-board  after  its  thickness  has  been 
nearly  reduced  to  the  final  degree,  thus: 

1.  By  removal  of  wood  from  the  interior  surface 
before  assembling. 

2.  By  removal  of  wood  from  the  exterior  sur- 
face after  assembling  and  stringing  up. 

With  the  first  method,  results  depend  upon 
guess-work  when  working  upon  new  and  untried 
wood.  With  the  second  method,  results  are  cer- 
tain; because  with  the  strings  in  tune,  their  force 
may  be  tested  until  transverse  vibration  reaches 
any  desired  point  upon  lines  at  a  right  angle  to  the 
center- join. 

For  concentration  of  string-force  upon  the  sound- 

251 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ing-board,  the  following1  method  for  diminishing 
thickness  has  been  the  most  successful  in  my  ex- 
perience; because,  with  this  method,  I  could  limit 
the  distance  traveled  by  transverse  vibration  at 
the  point  yielding  what  I  call  sufficient  volume  of 
tone  without  the  greater  dispersion  of  string-force; 
and,  the  result  has  been  moderate  volume  of  tone 
with  marked  intensity  of  tone,  a  combination  in- 
variably reaching  the  greater  distance  in  the  out- 
of-doors  long-distance  test. 

Thus:  Greatest  thickness  at  bridge-position; 
thence,  thickness  diminishes  gradually  to  a  point 
half-way  from  bridge-position  to  ends  of  plate; 
from  such  point,  thickness  increases  gradually  to 
ends  of  the  plate;  and,  from  such  half-way  point, 
on  lines  at  a  right  angle  with  the  center-join,  the 
same  thickness  at  such  point  is  secured  along  such 
lateral  lines  to  a  point  one  and  one-fourth  inches 
to  the  right,  and  to  a  point  one  and  one-fourth  inch- 
es to  the  left  of  the  center-join;  and,  from  these 
points  also  thicknesses  gradually  increases  in  eith- 
er direction  from  these  lateral  lines. 

Next,  the  violin  being  assembled,  and  the  strings 
in  tune,  the  force  of  the  strings  is  tested.  Inten- 
tionally, the  sounding-board  is  too  rigid  as  assemb- 
led, as  a  matter  of  precaution. 

Now  comes  work  in  which  science  cannot  become 
a  substitute  for  musical  sense;  neither  can  the 
world's  wealth  purchase  one  grain  of  musical 
sense.  Musical  sense  is  in  nowise  a  commercial 
commodity.  Musical  sense  cannot  be  borrowed. 

There's  the  trouble. 

252 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

I  can  borrow  my  friend's  books,  and  promptly 
forget  to  return  them;  but,  I  shall  never  have  the 
chance  to  forget  the  returning  of  his  musical  sense. 

Upon  testing  the  tone  from  the  newly  assembled 
violin,  and  finding  duration  of  tone  to  be  too  short 
to  suit  my  taste,  then  I  increase  the  distance  trav- 
eled by  normal  vibration;  and,  accomplish  such  re- 
sult by  diminishing  the  thickness  of  the  sounding- 
board  from  the  half-way  lateral  line  noted  to  ends 
of  the  plate;  and,  if  I  find  volume  of  tone  yet  too 
small,  then  I  increase  distance  traveled  by  trans- 
verse vibration;  and  accomplish  this  result  by  di- 
minishing thickness  at,  above,  below,  and  outside 
of  the  lateral  points  noted;  and,  to  give  an  equal 
chance  for  the  force  in  the  A  and  E-strings,  thick- 
ness immediately  beneath  those  strings  is  dimin- 
ished. 

In  working  upon  new  and  untried  wood,  I  repeat 
notice  of  the  wisdom  in  erring  upon  the  safe  side 
rather  than  diminishing  thickness  until  weakness 
of  tone  follows.  This  precaution  is  made  necessary 
by  increased  flexibility  of  connective  tissue  inevit- 
ably following  use.  I  have  known  such  increase 
of  flexibility  to  ruin  tone-values  in  two  years  use. 

In  the  work  of  regulating  sounding-board  thick- 
nesses with  the  object  of  maximum  tone- power  in 
view,  it  is  of  importance  to  bear  in  mind  the  fact 
that  sympathetic  action  between  vibrating  bodies 
diminishes  as  the  square  of  the  distance;  therefore, 
thicknesses  in  the  lower  half  of  the  sounding- 
board  should  be  less  than  in  the  upper  half. 

So  far  as  work  upon  the  sounding-board  itself  is 

253 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES, 

concerned,  these  details  include  the  main  features; 
but,  as  the  previous  list  shows,  there  are  many 
other  factors  necessary  in  the  production  of  maxi- 
mum violin  tone-power.  Because  the  more  import- 
ant factors  in  the  list  have  been  presented  upon 
preceeding  pages,  therefore  extended  notice  of 
them  is  unnecessary  at  this  moment  further  than 
to  say  that,  in  my  experience,  no  factor  in  the  list 
can  be  neglected  without  inviting  disaster.  There 
are  numerous  examples,  other  than  the  violin, 
showing  the  disastrous  effects  due  to  dispersion  of 
force.  The  horn,  too  light  in  metal,  yielding, 
trembling,  "buckling"  before  the  force  from  the 
player's  lungs,  loses  tone-power.  Instead  of  con- 
trolling the  elastic  energy  of  air  molecules  within, 
it  is  itself  controlled. 

Again,  the  steam  whistle  yields  but  a  harmonic 
tone  when  the  pressure  of  steam  greatly  exceeds 
rigidity  of  the  whistle. 

Again,  the  piano,  with  sounding-board  too  light, 
delivers  but  a  weak  tone;  a  result  clearly  due  to 
dispersion  of  force. 

Again,  the  ball,  thrown  against  the  hanging  can- 
vass, falls  straight  to  the  ground;  a  result  due  to 
dispersion  of  force. 

Again,  the  loud  voice,  directed  upon  the  tele- 
phone diaphragm,  causes  indistinctness  at  the  re- 
ceiver; a  result  due  to  dispersion  of  force. 

Again,  the  orator,  in  open  air,  can  be  heard  only 
at  limited  distances  owing  to  dispersion  of  force. 

Again,  the  fowling-piece,  recoiling,  loses  range. 

Of  these  examples,  it  may  be  said,  force  is  too 

254 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

great. 

True,  from  one  standpoint,  not  true  from  anoth- 
er standpoint.  The  violinist,  never  wanting  great- 
er tone-power  than  that  produced  by  the  weight  of 
his  bow,  is  not  pleased  with  the  violin  requiring 
vigorous  bow-pressure.  To  please  such  violinist, 
the  violin  maker  must  make  a  violin  of  light 
weight;  and  such  violin  is  not  pleasing  to  the  vio- 
linist whose  bow-arm  possesses  vigor  and  enthus- 
iasm, because  the  light-weight  violin,  subjected  to 
vigorous  bow-pressure,  trembles  to  that  degree 
permitting  too  great  dispersion  of  string-force;  a 
degree  of  dispersion  resulting  in  weak  tone. 

Loss  of  power  is  not  the  only  affliction  brought 
upon  the  violin  by  too  light  wood.  A  more  disas- 
trous affliction  is  woody  tone  quality;  the  kind  com- 
ing from  hard  wood  when  its  rigidity  is  too  greatly 
reduced. 

I  have  seen  violins,  built  with  the  best  of  inten- 
tions, yet  ruined  by  too  great  reduction  of  rigidity 
in  the  hard-wood  plate.  Such  violins,  under  light 
bow-pressure,  and  with  light  strings,  may  yield  a 
quality  of  tone  to  be  tolerated;  but,  under  vigorous 
bow-pressure,  the  tone  is  intolerably  woody.  As 
a  musical  instrument,  such  violin  sinks  below  insig- 
nificance. 


255 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 
LECTURE  XVII. 

GENTLEMEN:  Philosophic  reasons  for  the  perm- 
anent and  perfectly  smooth  interior  surface  of  the 
violin  are  clearly  defined  and  easily  comprehended. 
After  long-  years  of  observation  upon  this  subject, 
it  seems  to  me  unnecessary  to  present  the  reasons 
for  protecting  interior  surfaces  of  the  violin  from 
such  disintegrating  forces  as  heat  and  moisture.  It 
also  seems  unnecessary  to  present  reasons  for  aug- 
menting tone-power  by  the  perfectly  smooth  inter- 
ior surface;  but,  remembering  my  own  doubts  upon 
these  points  previous  to  observations,  therfore  I 
assume  that  others,  who  are  considering  these 
points  for  the  first  time,  may  also  entertain  similar 
doubts. 

At  first,  my  own  doubts  would  not  permit  trial  of 
this  experiment  upon  violins  of  value;  nor  did  I 
try  it  upon  violins  of  value  until  after  several  years 
of  observation.  At  this  moment,  I  find  myself 
wondering  why  the  violin  world  should  fear  protec- 
tion for  interior  violin  surfaces  more  than  for  ex- 
terior surfaces.  That  such  fear  exists  to  a  wide 
extent  is  well  known;  but  the  reasons  for  such  fear 
are  not  altogether  clear;  some  holding  to  one  ob- 
jection, some  to  another.  Perhaps  the  most  uni- 
versal objection  is  due  to  fear  that  interior  protec- 
tion may  be  disastrous  to  tone-quality.  The  owner 
of  a  violin  possessing  superior  tone-quality  cannot 
be  blamed  for  entertaining  such  fear,  and,  because 
violins  of  superior  tone-value  are  comparatively 
rare,  Were  such  violins  as  common  as  violins  of 
inferior  tone-quality,  then  the  case  would  be  differ- 

256 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ent.  Again,  the  case  would  be  different  could  vi- 
olin users  live  long  enough  to  see  new  violins  wear 
out  under  their  own  bows.  Thus,  at  the  moment 
of  knowing  a  valuable  violin  to  be  on  the  down- 
grade, the  owner  would  willingly  adopt  any  reason- 
able method  for  prolonging  its  usefullness.  But, 
the  wearing  out  of  a  violin  within  a  single  life-time 
is  a  rare  occurrence. 

Basing  calculations  upon  equal  use,  no  argument 
is  needed  to  determine  that  of  two  violins,  built 
from  the  same  sections  of  hard- wood  and  soft-wood 
logs,  the  one  lighter  in  wood  is  destined  to  -the 
briefer  period  of  usefullness.  It  is  my  own  vivid 
recollection  that  when  sounding-board  rigidity  is 
reduced  to  that  point  producing  greatest  augmen- 
tation of  tone,  thereafter  but  slight  loss  of  wood 
by  disintegration  operates  to  diminish  tone-power; 
and  such  loss,  steadily  continuing,  because  disinte- 
gration steadily  continues,  may  bring  ruin  to 
superior  tone- value  within  a  single  lifetime.  Thus, 
we  may  expect  immediate  diminution  of  tone- 
value  from  such  new  violins  as  possess  superior 
tone-power  at  the  moment  of  leaving  the  builder's 
hands.  Again,  and  for  the  very  reason  of  steadily 
continuing  disintegration  upon  unprotected  interior 
surfaces,  we  may  expect  increasing  tone-power 
from  such  new  violins  as  are  slightly  heavy  in 
wood  at  the  moment  of  leaving  the  builder's  hands, 

'Tis  but  human  to  desire  immediate  superiority 
in  violin  tone-values. 

Life  is  too  short  to  wait  for  slow  disintegration. 

Once  possessing  superior  violin  tone-values,  'tis 

257 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

but  human  to  mourn  for  the  loss  of  them. 

To  prevent  such  loss  is  but  simplicity  itself. 

I  feel  a  pang  of  regret  at  every  thought  of  those 
wrecked  gems  strewn  along  the  violin's  path;  and, 
because  nearly  everyone  of  these  wrecks,  due  to 
disintegration  on  interior  surfaces,  might  have 
been  preserved  to  an  indefinite  period. 

The  details  for  violin  interior  surface  protection, 
as  best  known  to  me,  have  been  presented  upon 
previous  occasions;  but,  in  such  presentation,  I  hes- 
itated to  discuss  the  principles  of  philosophy  in- 
volved therein.  My  hesitation  was  due  to  the  fact 
that  but  comparatively  few  violin  users  care  for 
the  philosophy  involved  in  either  the  production  or 
preservation  of  violin  tone.  It  is  quite  safe  to 
assume  that  all  violin  users  are  keenly  alive  to  find 
brief  and  positive  assertions  that  this  thing  or  that 
thing,  this  method  or  that  method  infallibly  pro- 
duces certain  results  in  violin  tone.  It  is  my  obser- 
vation, that  even  today,  after  the  violin  has  been 
an  object  of  attention  during  400  years,  none  can 
formulate  infallible  rules  for  the  production  of 
greatest  tone-values.  When  the  day  of  such  infal- 
lible rules  arrives,  violins  of  greatest  tone-values 
will  be  as  common  as  are  violins  of  inferior  tone- 
values  today.  The  cold  fact  remains  that,  to  make 
violins  of  faulty  tone  is  of  the  utmost  ease  and  cer- 
tainty; whereas,  to  make  violins  of  faultless  tone 
is  a  matter  of  the  utmost  difficulty  and  uncertain- 
ty. Such  uncertainty  is  due  to  the  impossibility  of 
formulating  rules  governing  all  phenomena  in  vio- 
lin tone.  Concerning  the  cause  for  such  impossi- 

258 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

bility,  there  is  disagreement  between  philosophers 
of  50  years  ago  and  philosophers  of  today.  Today, 
the  majority  hold  the  opinion  that  such  impossibil- 
ity is  due  to  the  capricious  action  of  sounding-board 
wood.  My  own  experience  decidedly  lends  corrob- 
oration  to  this  opinion.  It  is  my  belief  that  today, 
given  sounding-board  wood  of  best  quality,  violins 
of  best  tone- values  might  be  produced  indefinitely. 

It  is  self-evident  that  the  builder,  even  when 
given  the  best  of  wood,  must  necessarily  be  master 
of  all  other  factors  operating  to  modify  violin  tone. 

In  my  work  upon  the  violin,  it  has  been  an  object 
to  separate  and  classify  all  factors  concerned  in  the 
production  and  modification  of  violin  tone  thus: 

Class  1.    Factors  constant  in  tone-results. 

Class  2.    Factors  not  constant  in  tone-results. 

The  following  tone-modifying  principles,  being 
constant  in  results  are  placed  in  Class  I,  thus: 

1.  Lengthening  a  tone-producing  agent,  other 
dimensions  remaining  equal,  lowers  tone-pitch. 

2.  Shortening  a  tone-producing  agent,  other  di- 
mensions remaining  equal,  raises  tone-pitch. 

3.  Increasing    thickness     of  a  tone-producing 
agent,  other  dimensions  remaining  equal,   raises 
tone-pitch. 

4.  Diminishing  thickness  of  a  tone-producing 
agent,  other  dimensions  remaining  equal,   lowers 
tone-pitch. 

5.  Lengthening   perpendicular,    confined,     air 
columns  lowers  tone-pitch. 

6.  Shortening  perpendicular,  confined,  air  col- 
umns raises  tone-pitch. 


259 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

7.  Position  of  violin  exits,  distant  from  points 
of  sound-wave  concentration,  diminishes  volume  of 
tone,  and  intensity  of  tone,  and  noisy  tone-quality. 

8.  Increasing  area  of  violin  exits  raises  tone- 
pitch,  increases  volume  of  tone,  diminishes  inten- 
sity of  tone,  and  accentuates  noisy  tone-quality. 

9.  Diminishing  area  of  violin  exits  lowers  tone- 
pitch,  diminishes  volume  of  tone,  increases  intensi- 
ty of  tone,  and  diminishes  noisy  tone-quality. 

10.  Roughened  and  carpeted  interior  surfaces  of 
the  violin  diminish  volume  of  tone,   intensity  of 
tone,  and  noisy  tone-quality. 

11.  Perfectly  smooth  interior  surfaces  of  the  vio- 
lin increase  power  of  tone,  and  accentuate  noisy 
tone-quality. 

The  following  tone-modifying  factors,  not  being; 
constant  in  action,  are  placed  in  Class  II,  thus: 

1.  The  finger-board. 

2.  The  bridge. 

3.  The  sounding-board. 

4.  The  post. 

5.  The  back. 

6.  The.bar. 

7.  The'blocks. 

8.  The  ribs. 

9.  The  linings. 

Some  of  the  modifiers  in  Class  II  nearly  approach 
constant  action,  or  lack  of  action  rather,  as  the 
finger-board,  blocks,  ribs  and  linings;  but,  because 
of  lacking  constant  effects  upon  tone  in  any  de- 
gree, therefore  they  are  placed  in  this  class.  [At 
the  moment  of  making  up  the  list  in  Class  II,  I 

260 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

discovered  that  the  effect  upon  tone,  due  to  the  ribs, 
linings  and  blocks,  has  not  heretofore  received  at- 
tention. Because  of  this  omission,  I  am  now  think- 
ing there  yet  may  be  other  omissions.  The  difficul- 
ties under  which  I  work  are  offered  as  an  excuse.  It 
is  my  observation  that  the  benefit  to  tone  from  the 
ribs,  linings  and  blocks  consists  in  preventing  violent 
trembling  of  the  violin.  Because  such  trembling 
weakens  tone,  therefore  weight  and  rigidity  in 
these  modifiers  is  their  measure  of  value  to  tone; 
and,  this  measure  is  therefore  a  measure  for  their 
lack  of  action.] 

It  is  observed  that  all  tone-modifiers  in  class  I, 
depend  wholly  upon  the  action  of  air;  therefore, 
without  the  shadow  of  doubt,  their  constant  effect 
upon  violin  tone  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  action 
of  air  is  a  constant  quantity.  The  first  six  tone- 
modifiers  in  class  I,  affect  only  the  single  tone- 
quality  of  pitch;  the  seventh  affects  three  qualities 
of  tone;  the  eighth  and  ninth,  four  tone-qualities 
each;  the  tenth  and  eleventh,  three  tone-qualities 
each. 

At  this  point,  it  is  interesting  to  note  the  num- 
ber of  tone-qualities  at  the  absolute  command  of 
the  builder.  I  find  this  number  not  great  enough 
to  be  flattering.  Enumerating  tone-qualities  en- 
tering into  "rich"  violin  tone,  I  find  their  number 
to  equal  12,  thus:  Pitch  of  tone,  volume  of  .tone, 
intensity  of  tone,  evenness  of  tone,  freedom  from 
dissonant  overtones,  or  noise,  sympathy  in  concert, 
responsiveness  to  bow-pressure,  agreeable  double- 
stop  tones,  harmonic  tones,  resultant  tones,  or 

261 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

harmonics  a  bassa,  brilliance  in  velocity,  human 
quality  of  tone. 

[Nobility  of  tone,  and  liquidity  of  tone  strongly 
appeal  for  place  in  this  list,  but,  as  nobility  of  tone 
depends  upon  tone-pitch  and  volume  of  tone;  and, 
liquidity  of  tone  depends  partly  upon  tone-pitch 
and  partly  upon  brilliance  of  tone,  therefore  they 
are  not  given  place  as  individual  tone-qualities.] 

Out  of  the  12  individual  tone-qualities  given,  I 
have  found  but  two  which  are  absolutely  at  com- 
mand of  the  builder  at  all  times.  Those  two  are 
the  qualities  of  pitch  and  volume.  Thus,  no  mat- 
ter what  the  tone-value  of  wood  may  be,  violins 
equal  in  tone-pitch,  and,  equal  in  volume  of  tone 
may  be  reproduced  indefinitely.  To  reproduce  the 
remaining  10  individual  tone-qualities  at  will,  and 
at  all  times  is  wherein  lies  a  great  difficulty.  Of 
the  remaining  number,  I  find  three  which  are  ap- 
proximately at  command  of  the  builder,  namely, 
intensity  of  tone,  evenness  of  tone-power,  and 
freedom  from  dissonant  overtones. 

Intensity  of  violin  tone  is  found  to  be  a  product 
of  four  factors,  thus: 

1.  Arching  of  plates. 

2.  Position  and  area  of  exits. 

3.  Condition  of  interior  surfaces. 

4.  Inherent    spring-action    of    sounding-board 
wood. 

It  is  apparent  that  three  of  these  factors  are  at 
command  of  the  builder  at  all  times;  but,  the  fourth 
factor  is  not  at  command  at  all  times.  Inherent 
spring-action  of  sounding,  board  wood,  being  a  ca- 

262 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

pricious  quantity,  operates  to  defeat  equality  in  the 
carrying  power  of  different  violins.  Only  in  an 
approximate  degree  can  the  experienced  worker 
in  sounding-board  wood  predetermine  the  tonal- 
quality  of  any  given  sample.  Tonal  quality  of 
wood  can  be  determined  only  by  trial;  but,  the  build- 
er can  secure  considerabe  intensity  to  violin  tone  by 
arching,  by  area  and  position  of  exits,  and  by  con- 
dition of  interior  surfaces.  Even  with  sounding- 
board  wood  lacking  much  of  possessing  superlative 
spring-action,  it  is  my  observation  that  greater 
tone-intensity  can  be  secured  by  the  perfectly 
smooth  interior  surface  than  with  sounding-board 
wood  possessing  superlative  spring-action  while 
interior  surfaces  remain  rough  and  carpeted  with 
wood-fiber,  wood-dust  and  dirt.  But,  the  80  per 
cent,  increase  in  intensity  of  tone,  as  recorded, 
should  not  be  taken  as  an  amount  of  increase  whol- 
ly due  to  the  perfectly  smooth  interior  surface. 
This  record  was  secured  to  six  common  violins  se- 
lected from  a  general  stock,  and  their  average 
carrying-power  was  first  determined  without 
change  of  their  conditions;  and,  the  80  per  cent 
increase  in  carrying-power  was  secured  after  such 
tone-modifiers  as  graduation,  bar,  post,  depth  of 
ribs,  linings,  blocks,  condition  of  interior  surfaces 
area  of  exits,  finger-board,  bridge,  varnish,  and 
strings  had  received  my  utmost  attention.  Thus, 
the  per  cent  of  increase  in  intensity  of  tone,  due  to 
the  perfectly  smooth  interior  surface  alone,  does 
not  appear  in  the  record,  nor  have  I  made  experi- 
ment with  this  factor  alone.  The  precise  value  of 

263 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

this  important  factor  for  augmenting  intensity  of 
violin  tone  ought  to  be  determined,  because  of  its 
interest  to  owners  of  old  violins  having  tone-quali- 
ties right  in  every  way  except  in  the  quality  of  in- 
tensity. 

Although  removal  of  the  dust-carpet  from  inter- 
ior surfaces  of  the  violin,  by  such  agents  as  shelled 
corn,  wheat,  or  oats,  is  better  than  no  removal  at 
all,  yet,  there  are  violin  owners  who  have  not  the 
courage  even  to  permit  entry  of  these  harmless 
agents  into  that  sacred  interior.  So  far  as  my  ob- 
servation extends,  such  fear  is  caused  by  the  ex- 
pectation that  noisy  tone-quality  may  follow.  It 
is  a  fact  that  there  are  cases  wherein  such  fear  has 
good  ground  for  existence.  Thus,  when  a  violin 
is  afflicted  with  noisy  tone-quality,  placing  a  carpet 
upon  its  interior  surfaces  does  operate  to  "im- 
prove" the  tone;  and,  because  whatever  operates 
to  diminish  tone-power  may  operate  to  annihilate 
noise.  This  phenomen  in  tone  is  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  noise-wave  is  inherently  weaker  than  the 
music- wave;  hence,  the  noise- wave  is  first  to  disap- 
pear. 

The  permanent,  and  perfectly  smooth  interior 
surface  appeals  only  to  such  violin  users  as  desire 
greater  intensity  of  tone.  To  them,  the  philoso- 
phy involved  in  this  question  possess  interest;  and, 
to  them  I  now  address  myself. 

In  discussing  the  principles  of  philosophy  per- 
taining to  violin  interior  surfaces,  it  is  interesting 
to  note  certain  facts  concerning  air  itself,  thus; 
In  all  countries,  philosophers  agree  that  air,  sur- 

264 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

rounding  earth,  exists  as  gases;  that  such  gases 
are  in  the  form  of  spheres;  that  each  sphere  is  a 
molecule;  that  such  molecules  are  too  small  for 
measurement;  that  they  touch  each  other  as  shot; 
that  they  are  compressible;  that  when  released 
from  compression,  they  resume  the  spherical  form 
with  energy;  that  force  is  communicated  from  mol- 
ecule to  molecule  by  their  expansion  and  contract- 
ion; that,  in  unconfined  air,  energy  is  dispersed 
equally  in  all  directions;  that  such  lines  of  disper- 
sion may  be  concentrated  by  confining  walls;  that 
concentration  of  such  lines  increases  distance  trav- 
eled by  the  energy  in  the  original  blow;  that  such 
energy  may  be  reflected  from  solid,  smooth  sur- 
faces without  loss  of  force;  that  such  energy  is  not 
only  arrested,  but,  may  be  totally  annihilated  by 
striking  upon  soft  bodies;  that  force  of  the  origin- 
al blow  travels  at  a  right  angle  to  the  striking  sur- 
.f ace;  that  such  line  of  travel,  striking  upon  a 
solid,  smooth  surface,  is  reflected  at  an  angle  equal 
to  the  angle  of  incidence;  that  volume  of  sound  is 
proportionate  to  the  number  of  molecules  affected 
by  the  striking  agent  together  with  the  amount  of 
force  in  its  blows;  that  intensity  of  tone,  (carry- 
ing power  of  tone, )  is  proportionate  to  the  force  of 
blow  and  the  degree  of  concentration  given  to  lines 
of  sound-wave  travel;  that  the  distance  traveled  by 
sound-waves  may  be  diminished  by  conditions  of 
reflecting  media,  and  by  meteoric  conditions. 

Other  qualities  of  air,  not  being  in  point  are 
omitted.  Each  of  these  facts  concerning  air  is  di- 
rectly connected  with  the  production  of  violin  tone. 

265 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

The  infinitely  small  size  of  the  air  molecule  possess- 
es vast  interest  to  the  violin  student.  This  inter- 
est centers  in  the  fact  that  unprotected,  interior 
surfaces  of  the  violin  cannot  be  made  perfect  re- 
flecting media  for  lines  of  sound-wave  movement. 
Beneath  the  magnifying  glass,  and  at  the  limit  of 
polishing,  these  surfaces  yet  present  ridges,  valleys, 
and  open  mouths  of  caverns.  It  is  self-evident 
that  each  of  those  ridges  and  valleys  operate  to 
abruptly  deflect  lines  of  sound-wave  movement;  in 
other  words,  to  defeat  equality  in  the  angles  of 
incidence  and  reflection;  that  those  open  caverns 
operate  to  annihiliate  sound-wave  movement;  that 
those  disintegrating  forces,  heat  and  moisture,  op- 
erate to  sharpen  those  ridges,  to  deepen  those  val- 
leys, and  to  increase  the  capacity  of  those  caverns; 
that  all  of  such  agents  acting  upon  interior  surfaces 
of  the  violin,  combine  to  diminish  concentration  of 
sound-wave  movement  at  the  exits;  that  such  di- 
minution defeats  intensity  of  tone;  that  all  of  this 
effect  upon  tone  is  due  to  the  infinitely  small  size 
of  the  air  molecule,  and  to  the  infinitely  rough,  un- 
protected surfaces  within  the  violin. 

From  the  permanent  and  perfectly  smooth  inter- 
ior surface,  the  value  to  intensity  of  violin  tone- 
power  is  plainly  apparent. 

It  is  also  apparent  that  to  secure  such  surface, 
dependence  must  be  placed  upon  a  protecting  agent 
susceptible  of  taking  a  high  polish. 

Aside  from  intensity  of  tone,  there  are,  in  this 
connection,  other  effects  possessing  interest  to  such 
violin  users  as  desire  maximum  tone-power.  I  al- 

266 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

lude  to  such  effects  as  are  produced  by: 

1.  Times  of  sound-wave  reflection  before  reach- 
ing the  exits. 

2.  The  solid,  or  yielding  back  as  a  reflecting 
medium. 

3.  Condition  of  the  striking  surface. 

It  is  my  observation  that  the  number  of  times 
sound-waves  are  reflected  before  reaching  the  ex- 
its exerts  very  perceptible  influence  upon  both 
brilliance  of  tone,  (meaning  distinctness  of  tone  in 
rapidity  of  succession,)  and  power  of  tone.  Obvi- 
ously, times  of  reflection  may  be  so  great  as  to  di- 
minish force  in  any  projectile;  also,  it  is  obvious 
that  times  of  reflection  operate  to  delay  any  projec- 
tile in  reaching  a  given  point.  In  the  violin,  these 
principles  are  demonstrated  by  the  method  of 
sounding-board  graduation.  Thus,  when  reduction 
in  thickness  places  the  point  of  widest  amplitude 
of  oscillation  near  to  ends  of  the  plate,  then  both 
brilliance  of  tone,  and  power  of  tone  are  diminish- 
ed. It  is  self-evident  that  the  greatest  force  in- 
blows  from  the  plate  is  found  at  the  point  of 
widest  amplitude  of  oscillation;  also,  that  times  of 
reflection  of  sound-waves  increases  as  the  distance 
from  point  of  origin  to  exits.  Oft  repeated  exper- 
iment in  locating  the  point  of  widest  oscillation  has 
led  me  to  the  conclusion  that  to  this  method  of 
sounding-board  graduation,  maximum  power  of 
tone  is  an  impossibility.  In  such  experiments,  it 
was  conclusively  shown  that  placing  the  point 
of  widest  oscillation  half  way  from  position  of 
bridge  to  ends  of  plate  produced  maximum  tone- 

267 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

power.  From  my  view  point,  the  increase  in  tone- 
power  following  the  latter  method  of  graduation 
is  due  to  two  facts,  thus:  The  widest  oscillation, 
possible  to  sounding-board  fibers,  can  be  secured 
only  at  a  point  half-way  from  the  bridge-position 
to  ends  of  the  plate;  and,  shortening  the  distance 
from  the  point  of  origin  to  the  exits,  by  diminish- 
ing times  of  reflection,  diminishes  both  delay  and 
and  loss  of  force  to  the  sound-waves  receiving  the 
greater  blow;  hence,  greater  brilliance  of  tone,  and 
greater  tone-power. 

It  is  an  easy  matter  to  demonstrate  on  paper 
that,  as  arching  increases,  times  of  sound-wave  re- 
flections diminish.  Indeed,  this  proposition  is  self- 
evident,  thus:  In  the  box  fiddle,  the  plates  are 
parallel,  hence,  sound-waves,  originating  at  the 
top  plate,  and  traveling  at  a  right  angle  to  the 
.striking  agent,  according  to  the  law,  must  touch 
the  back  at  a  point  perpendicular  to  the  point  of 
origin;  therefore,  the  reflected  wave  must  travel 
•.back  to  the  top  plate  directly  upon  the  line 
of  incidence;  hence,  there  is  no  progression  of 
sound-wave  movement  toward  the  exits.  If  the 
top  plate  alone  be  given  but  the  slight  arching  of  i 
then  sound-waves,  originating  therefrom,  will  not 
touch  the  back  at  a  point  perpendicular  to  the 
point  of  origin,  but,  will  strike  at  a '  point  nearer 
the  exits;  and,  will  be.reflected  at  an  angle  equal 
to  the  angle  of  incidence  according  to  law.  Thus, 
sound-wave  movement,  at  each  reflection,  approach- 
es the  exits;  but,  in  this  case  reaches  the  exits  on- 
ly after  many  times  reflection.  If  now  the  back 

268 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

be  given  an  arching  of  1-8,  times  reflection  are  di- 
minished by  1-2.  It  is  thus  apparent  that  times 
reflection  diminish  as  the  height  of  arching;  but, 
it  does  not  follow  that  tone-power  follows  an  in- 
definite degree  of  arching  because  increasing  the 
heighth  of  arching  increases  resistance;  therefore 
the  arching  of  violin  plates  may  be  so  great  that 
force  in  the  strings  cannot  overcome  such  resist- 
ance. 

Experience,  and  but  experience,  determines  that 
when  widest  oscillation  of  sounding-board  fibers  is 
placed  near  the  ends  of  the  plate,  the  arching,  at 
bridge-position,  should  not  be  less  than  t  to  secure 
satisfactory  brilliance  of  tone;  and,  when  the  point 
of  widest  oscillation  is  placed  half-way  from  bridge- 
position  to  ends  of  the  plate,  then  arching  should 
not  be  less  than  i  inch.  It  was  previously  shown 
that  the  less  the  heighth  of  arching,  the  greater 
the  susceptibility  to  force,  therefore  heighth7  of 
arching  becomes  a  factor  in  the  production  of  max- 
imum tone-power. 

As  the  sounding-board  strikes  the  blow  upon 
contained  air  to  produce  sound,  therefore  its  strik- 
ing surface  possesses  interest  in  this  connection.  It 
is  evident  that  force  in  any  blow  may  be  diminish- 
ed by  a  soft  carpet  upon  the  face  of  the  striking 
medium.  Thus,  when  the  interior  surface  of  the 
sounding-board  is  covered  with  a  carpet  of  finely 
slivered  wood-fiber,  force  in  its  blows  upon  con- 
tained air  is  diminished  in  proportion  to  the  thick- 
ness of  such  carpet;  or,  stated  in  the  reverse  way, 
force  in  its  blows  is  augmented  by  the  permanent, 

269 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

and   perfectly   smooth  interior  surface.    In  this 
connection,  the  back  plate  possesses  interest  aside 
from  the  condition  of  its  interior  surface.     As  pre- 
viously stated,  I  find  myself  able  to  secure  greater 
intensity  of  tone  by  treating1  the  back  solely  as  a 
reflecting  medium.     Thus,   rigidity  in  the  back, 
sufficient  to  stand  firmly  against  the  force  in  charg- 
ing sound-waves,  becomes  a  feature  of  value.   But, 
whether  or  not  the  strong  back  stands  still  in  the 
presence  of  such  charge,  I  do  not  know.     I  only 
know  that  violent  trembling  of  the  back  operates 
to  diminish  intensity  of  tone,  as  is  easily  demon- 
strated by  the  long  distance  test  in  open  air.   Right 
here  is  a  fact  possessing  double  interest,  thus:    In 
making  the  long-distance  test  for  carrying  power, 
powerful  bow -pressure  is  employed;  therefore,  the 
back  is  called  upon  to  stand  before  the  limit  of 
force  within  that  particular  sounding-board;  and, 
yielding  of  the  back  to  such  amount  of  force  oper- 
ates to  diminish  the  recoil  in  air  molecules.     It  is 
apparent  that  such  recoil  diminishes  as  the  yielding 
of  the  back,  and  as  yielding  of  the  back  diminish- 
es with  the  diminished  force  in  charging  sound- 
waves, therefore,  with  diminished  bow-pressure, 
such  violin  displays  greater  carrying  power  than 
with    greatest   bow-pressure.     This    phenomenon 
may  be  observed  frequently.     So  far  as  assistance 
in  orchestra  ensemble  is  concerned,   such  violin  is 
worthless;  and  worthless  because  its  tone  is  smoth- 
ered by  sound-waves  from  harmony  instruments. 
Many  times  have  I  demonstrated  the  fact  that  re- 
placing such  weakened  backs  by  others  possessing 

270 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

rigidity  operates  to  increase  intensity  of  tone.  It 
seems  clear  to  me  that  rigidity  in  the  back  should 
equal  the  limit  of  force  in  the  sounding-board,  even 
when  the  sounding-board  is  aroused  to  its  widest 
oscillation  by  action  of  the  open  strings  under 
greatest  bow-pressure;  and,  because  only  thus  may 
the  limit  of  bow-pressure  be  employed  without  dis- 
aster to  carrying-power. 

I  will  demonstrate  the  reason  for  such  conclusion 
by  the  action  of  this  elastic  ball  as  it  rebounds 
from  yonder  brick  wall,  and,  from  yonder  partition 
wall  of  light  wood,  As  the  ball  is  thrown  against 
the  brick  wall,  the  distance  to  which  it  recoils  is 
proportionate  to  its  force  at  the  instant  of  impact; 
thus,  the  greater  its  force,  the  greater  its  recoil. 
But,  from  the  partion  wall  of  light  wood  the  result 
is  widely  different.  Beginning  with  moderate  force 
to  the  ball,  and  gradually  increasing  until  its  force 
equals  rigidity  in  the  wood,  the  distance  of  recoil  in- 
creases as  the  amount  of  force;  but,  upon  giving  to 
the  ball  an  amount  of  force  exceeding  rigidity  in 
the  light  wood,  the  distance  of  recoil  is  greatly 
diminished.  It  is  apparent  that  yielding  of  the 
wall  robs  the  ball  of  its  elastic  energy.  Air 
molecules  are  elastic  balls;  and,  the  yielding  violin 
back  robs  them  of  a  chance  to  display  their  elastic 
energy;  hence,  diminished  carrying  power.  But, 
did  rigidity  in  the  wall  exactly  equal  the  greatest 
force  given  to  the  ball,  then  the  distance  of  recoil 
would  have  exceeded  former  distances,  because 
elastic  energy  in  the  wood,  added  to  elastic  energy 
in  the  ball  operates  to  increase  the  distance 

271 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

of  recoil.  Form  the  action  of  the  partition  wall,  it 
is  apparent  that  such  great  increase  in  distance  of 
recoil  is  possible  only  to  one  certain  amount  of  force 
in  the  ball;  a  less  amount  of  force  not  being  able  to 
arouse  the  same  degree  of  energy  in  the  wood; 
while  a  greater  amount  of  force  in  the  ball  causes 
yielding  of  the  wood  with  its  disastrous  results. 

Right  here  is  a  point  of  vast  interest  to  the  violin 
student. 

'Tis  the  old  question  of  regulating  violin  tone- 
power  by  work  upon  the  back  plate.  The  follow- 
ing conclusions,  although  based  upon  repeated 
practical  demonstrations,  are  presented  only  as  the 
conclusions  of  one  individual;  and,  such  conclus- 
ions may  have  to  stand  without  support  from  oth- 
ers. It  is  my  observation  that  rigidity  of  the  back 
may  be  so  determined  as  to  augment  the  funda- 
mental, or  open  tones  of  each  string;  but,  in  no  in- 
stance have  I  observed  equal  augmentation  follow- 
ing for  any  other  tones.  The  reason  for  this  phe- 
nomenon seem  clearly  indicated  by  action  of  the 
ball  and  the  light  partition  wall.  Thus:  When 
force  in  the  ball  exactly  equals  spring  action  in  the 
wall,  then  recoil  of  the  ball  reaches  the  maximum, 
but,  with  less  force  in  the  ball,  recoil  diminishes. 
Applied  to  the  violin  thus:  Development  of  great- 
est force  in  the  strings  demands  employment  of 
their  entire  length;  therefore,  shortening  the 
strings  operates  to  diminish  force;  therefore,  when 
rigidity  of  the  back  exactly  equals  force  in  the  en- 
tire length  of  strings,  it  follows  that  tones  produc- 
ed by  shortening  the  strings  cannot  be  equally 

272 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

augmented.  It  goes  without  saying  that  such  vio- 
lin as  possesses  powerful  open  tones,  while  marked 
weakness  of  tone  follows  successive  shortening  of 
the  strings,  is  a  violin  of  but  insignificant  tone- val- 
ue. Thus  maximum  violin  tone-power,  and  perfect 
smoothness  of  violin  interior  surfaces  are  insepar- 
ably linked  together;  and  perfect  smoothness  of 
violin  wood  is  an  impossibility. 


273 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 
LECTURE  XVIII. 

GENTLEMEN  OF  THE  VIOLIN  STUDENT  CLUB  :  The 
present  hour  marks  the  close  of  our  course.  Here 
are  two  pieces  of  wood  possessing  interest;  this  one 
is  soft  Michigan  pine;  the  other  is  Michigan  white 
cedar;  and  both  are  presented  for  the  purpose  of 
demonstrating  the  fact  that  oil  may  be  applied  up- 
on even  soft  wood  without  being  followed  by  pene- 
tration. In  works  upon  the  violin,  we  may  often 
read  that  employment  of  oil  as  a  protecting  agent 
is  hazardous  because  oil  penetrates  the  wood. 
Again,  we  may  read  that  permeation  of  the  wood 
by  Cremona  varnish  is  the  reason  for  tone  values 
in  the  Cremona  violin;  also,  that  Cremona  varnish 
is— excuse  me  Mr.  Promoter— was  an  oil  varnish. 
Because  of  the  conflicting  evidence  in  works  on  the 
violin,  I  could  not  reach  a  conclusion  upon  this  im- 
portant point  without  a  test  being  made  under  my 
own  observation. 

It  is  apparent,  without  any  test  whatever,  that 
penetration  of  oil  must  operate  to  diminish  the  ra- 
pidity with  which  the  wooden  spring  returns  to  its 
point  of  rest;  hence,  penetration  of  oil  into  the 
sounding-board  must  operate  to  diminish  violin 
tone-power.  I  reasoned  thus:  If  oil  can  be  ap- 
plied to  these  two  samples  of  soft  wood  without 
penetration,  then  oil  can  be  applied  in  safety  to 
any  violin.  To  make  such  test  reliable,  I  employed 
raw  oil,  because  it  dries  more  slowly  than  boiled 
oil;  also,  with  raw  oil,  I  mixed  gum  mastic,  the 
slowest  drying  gum  known  to  me.  Nothing  else 
was  put  in  this  mixture.  The  surface  of  the  wood 

274 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

was  made  smooth,  but,  no  filling  was  employed. 
Application  of  this  mixture  was  effected  with  the 
rubbing  pad,  and  in  attenuated  layers.  Each  lay- 
er was  given  time  to  dry  before  application 
of  succeeding  layers. 

It  is  now  more  than  ten  years  since  these  two 
pieces  of  soft  wood  were  thus  finished.  With  a 
knife,  I  scrape  off  the  finish  down  to  the  wood  for 
the  purpose  of  showing  that  enough  of  this  mixture 
was  applied  for  protection.  With  this  sharp-cutt- 
ing blade,  I  now  remove  a  thin  shaving  immediate- 
beneath  the  finish.  As  you  observe,  the  wood  is 
bright;  and  without  any  discoloration  whatever.  I 
attribute  this  fact  to  the  manner  of  application. 
It  is  my  observation  that  a  layer  of  oil  dries  with  a 
degree  of  rapidity  proportionate  to  its  thickness. 
Thus,  the  attenuated  layer,  possible  to  the  rubbing 
pad,  dries  in  much  less  time  than  the  lightest  lay- 
er possible  to  the  brush.  Applied  in  attenuated 
layers,  it  is  my  belief  that  less  penetration  of  wood 
follows  application  of  oil  varnish  by  the  rubbing 
process  than  the  penetration  of  alcohol  following 
application  of  spirit  varnish  by  the  brush.  My 
reasons  for  preferring  oil  varnish  upon  the  violin 
are  thus: 

1.  Less  penetration  of  wood. 

2.  Greater  attenuation. 

3.  Greater  elasticity. 

Sadly  I  now  take  a  parting  shot  at  the  post. 

This  innocent  appearing  thing  is  an  ever  ready 
butt  for  both  the  pen  and  the  tongue.  Although 
the  post  is  at  once  an  object  of  jeers,  scoffs,  rail- 

275 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ings  and  maledictions,  yet  its  worth  defies  compu- 
tation. Its  adjustment  and  readjustment  occupy 
idle  moments  of  every  violin  user  on  earth.  Al- 
though kept;  "on  the  move,"  the  patience  of  the 
post  is  endless.  Having  such  anatomical  parts  as 
"latete,"  (the  head)  and  "la  pied"  (the  foot) 
yet,  the  post  stands  equally  well  upon  either  end. 
In  superlative  fancy,  the  French  surpass  all  other 
peoples  by  naming  the  post  "1'aime"  (the  soul.) 

Oh  thou  Post!  Thy  very  name 
Doth  make  us  think  thou  art  but  tame; 
Yet,  thou  art  the  very  thing 
Conferring  title  to  the  king. 

Small  thou  art,  of  little  space, 
Nor  worth  appears  upon  thy  face, 
Yet,  thou  art  a  precious  thought 
By  India's  wealth  'twere  never  bo't. 

To  name  thee  "soul"  doth  harm  to  none, 
'Tis  thine  by  right  of  giving  tone 
To  A  and  E  which  we  do  hold 
Above  the  worth  of  Croesus'  gold. 

We  are  now  well  across  the  "dry  district."  As 
you  remember,  we  were  promised  something  for 
parched  lips  at  this  moment;  and,  if  your  minds 
are  as  my  mind,  we  will  celebrate  this  occasion  by 
introducing  our  feast  of  the  pass-over. 

Have  we  not  passed  over  impregnable  difficult- 
ies? 

Are  we  not  also  "dry?" 

Verily,  this  dust  along  the  violin's  path  is  chok- 
ing. 

'Tis  not  best  to  give  our  entire  time  to  dryness; 

276 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

for  without  an  occasional  smile,  life  is  scarcely 
worth  the  living.  If  real  work  is  enjoyment  of 
play,  then,  in  all  conscience,  we  are  prepared  for 
a  moment  of  recreation.  In  amount  of  work,  I 
k,now  of  no  occupation  surpassing  the  mastery  of 
violin  possibilities.  Even  the  reading  of  it  is  tire- 
some. Although  400  years  have  been  given  to  con- 
sideration of  those  possibilities,  yet,  this  question 
remains  new  to  each  succeeding  generation. 

Will  it  ever  remain  new? 

There's  no  doubt. 

There's  a  bewitching  power  in  the  enchantment 
of  violin  tone  surpassing  the  figures  in  arithmetic. 
The  daily  offering  of  wealth  to  the  "king"  surpass- 
es all  offerings  to  all  other  sorcerers  combined. 
Although  the  germ  theory  of  today  covers  the 
earth;  although  the  germ  hunter  invades  the  very 
springs  of  life  for  his  "cultures;"  although  he  has 
segregated  and  named  countless  pathogenic  and 
saprohytic  micrococci,  yet,  in  an  unaccountable 
way,  he  has  neglected  to  focus  on  the  violinicus 
universalis.  Considering  the  epidemic  proclivities 
of  this  germ,  such  neglect  is  astounding.  It  is 
found  all  around  the  earth,  and  in  all  latitudes.  It 
knows  no  prejudice  for  creeds,  nor  races,  nor  col- 
ors. Possibly,  its  neglect  by  the  microscopist  may 
be  due  to  the  fact  that  this  germ  is  visible  by  sun- 
light, by  moonlight,  by  starlight,  self-luminous  in 
darkness  and  never  suffers  eclipse.  The  violini- 
cus universalis  is  ineradicable.  In  all  climates,  its 
presence  is  manifested  by  uniform  symptoms,  to- 
wit;  intoxication  and  indifference  to  wealth.  Nor 

277 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

wealth,  nor  rank,  nor  position  whatever  secures 
immunity  from  this  irrepressible  germ.  The  mil- 
lionaire and  the  beggar  jostle  each  other  for  seats 
beneath  the  artist's  bow.  Watch  them  at  the  mo- 
ment when  the  first  sweetly  tender,  soulfully  in- 
tense tone  reaches  their  hearing.  From  that  mo- 
ment, neither  moves,  neither  breathes.  Were  eyes 
closed— they  remain  closed.  Were  lips  parted— 
they  remain  parted.  Both  are  drinking— drinking 
in  the  sweetest  sound  on  earth. 

Intoxicated? 

Ask  yourself. 

Moreover,  the  more  they  drink,  the  more  they 
want. 

Music!  Beautiful  Music!  All  around  the  world, 
from  hut  to  palace,  thou  art  welcome.  Thy  lang- 
uage is  understood  by  the  whole  world.  As  the 
sunshine,  thy  presence  brings  warmth.  Thy  pow- 
er to  touch  human  heart  hath  no  parallel.  Thy 
eloquence  commands  silence,  and  silence  is  willing. 
Thy  subjects  pass  beyond  mankind  even  unto  the 
animal  kingdom.  Thy  worship  is  boundless,  and 
endless,  even  as  the  throbbing  of  hearts. 

What  is  music?  J^ 

For  one  thing,  it  is  a  demonstration  for  the  ease 
with  which  the  grinning  idiot  may  question  the 
sage.  Thinking  perchance  you  may  be  a  sage,  and 
not  seeing  danger  ahead,  you  begin  with:  "Music 
is  something  built  from  nothing  tangible;  a  product 
of  genius  working  in  ether  for  aBstheticism;  an  en- 
tity unknown  but  to  hearing;  matter  without  pond- 
erosity; inconceivable  material  from  intangible 

278 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

realms  of  thought  and—  and ."  As  you 

glance  at  the  broadening  grin  of  yonder  idiot,  you 
avert  your  face  in  discomforture. 

By  the  record,  antiquity  of  music  is  great.  The 
record  carries  the  student  back  almost  to  the  day 
when  Adam,  in  Eden,  became  manager  of  opera. 

Genesis  iv:21.  Speaking  of  the  descendants  of 
Cain:  And  his  brother's  name  was  Jubal.  He 
was  the  father  of  all  such  as  handle  the  harp  and 
organ. 

Thus  we  claim  descent  from  Jubal.  We  are 
proud  to  know  that  our  root  handled  the  harp,  for 
the  harp  is  of  strings. 

[We  do  but  glance  sidewise  upon  the  organ.] 
We  do  especially  delight  in  such  of  Jubal 's  de- 
scendants as  handle  the  strings.  We  are  pleased 
with  their  soft  voices  and  quiet  ways.  They  live 
in  a  world  by  themselves  and  converse  with  the 
eyes  and  the  strings.  'Tis  true,  they  are  distant- 
ly related  to  Cain;  'tis  also  true  that  "blood  will 
tell;"  yet,  they  never  "murder  music,"  neither  do 
they  "raise  Cain." 

[Can  I  ever  be  forgiven?] 

Than  the  growth  of  music,  there  is  nothing  in 
history  showing  equal  deliberation.  Tis  true  that 
things  of  slower  growth  last  the  longer.  Among 
other  assets,  Solomon  possessed  a  band  of  four 
thousand  trumpeters.  From  the  best  light  obtain- 
able, the  scores  interpreted  by  this  magnificent  band 
were  limited  to  four  tones.  Developement  of  our 
major  and  minor  scales  required  the  time  from  Ju- 
bal to  Palestrina  in  the  16th  century  of  the  Christ- 

279 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ian  era.  We  owe  much  to  Palestrina.  Prior  to 
Palestrina,  that  wonderful  thing,  called  "har- 
mony" did  not  exist,  nor  could  it  have  been  em- 
ployed had  it  existed.  In  scale  building,  the  gen- 
ius of  Palestrina  made  the  modern  orchestra  a  pos- 
sibility. Today,  loss  of  the  symphony  orchestra 
would  put  the  world  in  mourning. 

Six  thousand  years  from  Jubal! 

Verily,  as  an  example  of  slow  growth,  music 
permits  no  rival.  But,  development  of  music  is 
not  equally  distributed.  There  are  yet  localities 
where  the  method  of  six-thousand-year  Jubal  re- 
mains in  pristine  purity.  I  know  of  nothing  poss- 
essing greater  interest  than  the  moment  when  Ju- 
bal is  brought  face  to  face  with  an  interpretation 
of  music  by  the  symphony  orchestra  of  today. 

You  remember  the  recent  presentation  of  the 
South  Sea  Islander's  theater— its  one-piece  orches- 
tra—the one  hollow  log  drum— its  one  drum  head 
—the  one  drum  stick— the  one  son  of  Jubal  who 
handled  the  stick— his  inimitable  look  of  ecstacy? 

After  mastering  his  da  capos,  and  dal  segnos 
with  my  very  dolcissimo  I  asked  him,  "Would  you 
please  change  the  tonic?" 

He  answered  never  a  word. 

There  was  no  need. 

His  soul-lighted  eyes  looked  into  my  eyes,  and 
from  his  eyes  came  signals  older  by  thousands  of 
years  than  the  signals  of  Solomon.  Within  those 
illumined  orbs  I  easily  read,  "'Tis  all  the  key  I 
know." 

Our  musical  sense  is  the  product  of  six-thousand- 

280 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

year  culture.  The  musical  sense  of  this  son  of  Ju- 
bal  is  yet  at  the  zero  point.  To  him,  the  dreary 
monotone  from  his  primitive  instrument  of  percus- 
sion, (probably  the  organ,  Gen.  iv:21)  is  sufficient 
to  translate  him  into  the  regions  of  sweet 
dreams;  and,  from  his  dreamland  point  of  observa- 
tion, the  change  to  our  major  and  minor  scales, 
the  change  to  the  wide  range  of  melody  tones,  the 
change  to  24  keys,  the  change  to  harmony  parts, 
the  change  to  interpretation  by  a  score  of  varying 
devices  is  to  him  but  a  change  to  incomprehens- 
ible noise. 

Of  such  in  heaven,  to  him  'twere  hell. 

To  us,  his  ''organ"  is  hell. 

Yet,  heaven  cannot  be  denied  him. 

There  is  but  one  alternative— petition— petition 
that  distances  in  heaven  be  great  enough  to  accom- 
modate all  such  as  handle  the  harp  and  organ. 

Thus  all  may  remain  in  the  union. 

But  yet,  there's  another  matter  for  serious 
thought.  Those  very  distances  and  planes  for 
which  we  petition  may  cause  trouble  to  ourselves. 
Thus:  While  here  below,  one  trait  of  humanity  is 
egotism;  and,  when  seized  of  egotism,  we  are  sure 
to  attempt  seizure  of  the  highest  seat.  As  egotism 
is  blinding  to  introspection,  therefore  disappoint- 
ment awaits  some  of  us  who  think  that  we  can 
handle  the  harp.  The  "maestro"  may  feel  certain 
of  entering  at  the  highest  gate;  but,  do  earthly 
standards  compare  with  heavenly  standards? 
That's  the  question.  Even  the  bow  of  the 
"wa2s£ro"  may  be  too  rough  for  angel  ear.  That 

281 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

we  shall  try  the  highest  gate  is  possible.  That 
some  of  us  will  be  turned  down  is  probable.  The 
"maestro"  here  may  only  enter  a  lower  gate  up 
there.  That  the  violin  will  enter  at  the  highest 
gate,  we  may  feel  assured,  because,  only  the 
strings  can  accompany  angel  voice.  But,  we  have 
assurances  for  hope.  These  assurances  point  to  cer- 
tain guide-boards;  and,  these  guide-boards  point 
the  way.  Thus,  the  "msestro"  may  at  least  arrive 
at  the  highest  gate;  that  he  will  enter  therein  de- 
pends upon  precautions. 

If  the  world  owes  much  to  Palestrina,  it  owes 
more  to  the  church  which,  never  for  a  moment, 
relaxes  her  fostering  care  for  Beautiful  Music. 

The  brave  deserve  to  live. 

The  modern  violin  builder's  200-year  fight  for 
life  has  no  parallel  in  history.  Considering  that 
only  two  human  traits  have  been  the  cause  for  this 
prolonged  struggle,  we  are  astounded  at  the  vast 
height,  and  the  vast  depth  of  those  two  traits. 
Specifically,  those  traits  are: 

Greed  for  profits. 

Credulity  of  consumer. 

Upon  this  occasion,  greed  for  profits  is  much  less 
in  point  than  credulity  of  consumer;  and,  be- 
cause of  the  fact  that  equal  greed  for  profits  is 
equally  displayed  in  other  lines  of  commerce;  but, 
equal  credulity  is  not  found  in  any  other  consumer. 
No  fact  is  more  patent  in  violin  history  than  the 
fact  that  human  credulity  is  colossal.  Since  Stradi- 
varius  and  Joseph  Guarnerius  pointed  to  the  way, 
countless  numbers  of  violins,  equal  in  tone-value, 

282 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

have  been  built;  but  the  builders  have  received  no 
credit  whatever. 

The  cause  for  such  builders  not  receiving  credit 
for  violins  of  tone-value  equalling  the  best  Strad, 
or  the  best  "Joseph"  is  a  matter  worthy  of  thought. 
For  this  cause,  there  are  but  three  classes  upon 
which  responsibility  may  be  laid,  thus: 

1.  The  violin  promoter. 

2.  The  violin  consumer. 

3.  The  violin  builder. 

The  violin  promoter  interests  himself  only  in  the 
product  of  such  builders  as  have  acquired  fame, 
and  because  otherwise,  profits  are  insignificant. 
For  large  profits,  the  promoter  depends  upon  con- 
sumers' sentiment  alone;  and,  consumers'  senti- 
ment is  as  consumers'  credulity;  and,  consumers' 
credulity  is  colossal.  Next  come  the  builders  them- 
selves—a procession— a  funeral  procession— appar- 
ently—yes,  in  reality. 

Why  for  such  mourning? 

Mr.  Violin  Builder,  because  of  friendliness  for 
you,  my  scalpel  is  bent  upon  reaching  the  seat  of 
your  trouble.  Don't  wince.  'Tis  for  your  good. 
Therefore,  I  diagnose  the  cause  of  your  mourning 
to  be  that  fatal  malady  called  '  'imitation. " 

'Tis  imitation  that  buried  your  hopes. 

J.  B.  Vuillaume  leads  your  procession.  When 
the  Strad  violin  came  into  demand,  Vuillaume  built 
Strad  violins;  sold  them;  sold  them  to  experts  in 
tone- values;  proof  enough  that  the  Vuillaume  pro- 
duct equalled  the  Strad  product. 

Fatal  mistake! 

283 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

Had  those  violins  been  honestly  labeled,  "J.  B. 
Vuillaume,  a  Paris,"  then  Paris  today  would  be 
equally  famous  with  Cremona. 

From  Vuillaume,  the  procession  lengthens  rapid- 
ly; consequently  Strad  violins  are  found  in  every 
village  throughout  Europe  and  North  America, 
and,  lately  they  are  heard  from  in  China. 

When  the  credulous  find  themselves  duped, 
credulity  is  followed  by  wrath;  and,  when  wrathy, 
the  dupe  will  not  accept  your  imitation  as  a  gift, 
even  did  its  tone-value  excel  the  best  ever. 

The  brave  deserve  to  live;  and  the  day  is  rapidly 
breaking  for  those  courageous  violin  builders  dar- 
ing to  place  their  names  upon  labels.  Even  in  high 
places,  merit  for  the  modern  violin  is  now  admitted, 
and  the  hand  of  the  old- violin  promoter  is  losing  its 
nerve.  From  such  accredited  authority  as  Chas. 
Reade,  London,  comes  the  statement  that  the  best 
Strad,  stripped  of  its  varnish,  is  worth  today  but 
$125.  This  is  an  acknowledgement  that  violins  of 
equal,  or  even  greater  tone-value  than  the  Strad 
are  existing  in  abundance.  Indeed,  new  violins 
are  commanding  prices  undreamed  of  200  years  ago. 

The  fate  of  the  Cremona  '  'gusher"  is  a  sad  feat- 
ure accompanying  this  change  in  sentiment.  As 
the  word  "gusher"  is  applied  to  different  objects, 
'tis  therefore  necessary  to  state  specifically  that 
its  employment  in  this  connection  does  not  indicate 
those  mammoth  geysers  in  Yellowstone  Park,  but 
does  indicate  the  "Cremona  gusher."  There's  a 
difference.  The  Yellowstone  gusher  displays  ac- 
tion of  deep  water.  The  "Cremona  gusher"  dis- 

284 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

plays  action  of  shallow  water.  If  anyone  ever  had 
an  occasion  to  pray  for  deliverance  from  friends, 
'tis  Antonius  Stradivarius.  A  man  is  a  man— nev- 
er more— sometimes  less. 

Soon  the  Cremona  "gusher"  will  lose  his  occupa- 
tion; and,  for  his  fate,  my  pen  sheds  tears  of  inky 
blackness.  With  nothing  upon  which  to  expend 
his  imagination,  the  Cremona  "gusher"  must  die 
of  appolexy.  Sadly  we  turn  away  from  the  '  'gush- 
er's" sickening  exhibition  of  shallowness;  and,  our 
degree  of  nausea  is  exactly  proportionate  to  our 
degree  of  esteem  for  the  object  of  his  "gush." 

An  account  in  detail  of  Cremona  "gush"  is  too 
much ;  'twould  be  an  overdose  inadmissable.  Doubt- 
ing the  ability  of  my  pen  to  give  the  Cremona 
"gusher"  new  pointers,  yet,  because  of  its  desire, 
'twill  be  permitted  trial. 

In  such  trial,  'tis  but  necessary  to  call  up  a  single 
specimen  of  "gush."  This  specimen  reads,  "He, 
(Stradivarius)  married  the  wealthy  widow,  Signora 
Capra,  and  thereafter  pursued  his  chosen  vocation 
from  a  purely  artistic  standpoint. ' ' 

Certainly! 

Ditto  every  poor  devil  of  a  fiddle  maker  when 
lifted  above  the  pinching  demands  of  quick-return 
fever.  Although  not  intended  by  the  "gusher," 
yet  this  statement  virtually  declares  that  Stradi- 
varius knew  the  pinching  demands  of  quick-return 
fever  prior  to  his  adoption  by  that  benevolent 
widow. 

My  pen  points  to  the  fact  that  the  "gusher"  has 
entirely  ignored  the  Signora  Capra's  equity  in 

285 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

Strad's  glory. 

A  Joseph  Guarnerius  in  jail! 

And  in  jail  for  a  paltry  debt! 

Tis  sad  reading  today  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
the  modern  violin  builder  is  taking  but  little 
notice  of  $500  for  a  single  violin;  but,  the  neglect 
of  the  "gusher"  for  the  jailer's  daughter  surpasses 
mere  sadness.  It  does  seem  that  even  the  Cremona 
"gusher"  might  understand  that  the  "divinity 
which  doth  shape  our  ends,"  in  lack  of  a  benevo- 
lent widow,  placed  Joseph  in  jail  for  the  purpose 
of  giving  him  the  services  of  the  jailer's  daughter 
in  procuring  the  finest  material. 

As  a  "regular,"  I  am  prepared  to  prescribe  for 
you  poor  fellows,  thus;  As  a  reliable,  anti-febrile 
treatment  for  "quick  return"  fever,  take  a  rich 
widow  a  la  Stradivarius. 

I  sincerely  hope  that  the  Cremona  "gusher"  may 
yet  retrieve  lost  opportunity  to  grant  justice  to  the 
silent  partners  of  Cremona's  genii;  but,  for  the 
sake  of  the  living  I  sincerely  pray  that  the  '  'gush- 
er" may  grant  rest  to  Stradivarius  the  honest,  con- 
scientious, ambitious,  tireless,  violin-loving,  violin- 
playing,  violin-making  man  —nothing  more— 1644 
—1737— equaled  every  day  in  the  year  One  Thous- 
and Nine  hundred  and  Five. 

'Tis  said  the  superior  violin  is  a  product  of  gen- 
ius. The  Hon.  W.  E.  Gladstone  said  the  evolution 
of  the  violin  cost  more  thought  than  evolution  of 
the  steam  engine. 

In  all  human  activities,  I  know  of  none  possess- 
ing equal  difficulty  in  commanding  superiority  of 

286 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

product  with  the  art  of  violin  making.  I  know  of  no 
route  to  superiority  of  violin  production  other  than 
experience  combined  with  intense  application.  To 
me,  the  superior  violin  appears  as  a  product  of  su- 
perior mechanical  skill  combined  with  superior 
musical  sense  and  intense  application,  all  directed 
upon  superior  material— nothing  more— nothing 
less. 

Than  the  art  of  violin  making,  I  know  of  no  hu- 
man activity  possessing  equal  temptation  for 
fraud.  Within  the  violin  lies  much  of  the  work 
upon  which  value  depends;  and,  because  much  of 
its  interior  is  hidden  from  view,  fraud  steps  in. 
None  can  look  only  upon  the  exterior  of  a  violin 
and  determine  that  fraud  does  not  sit  within;  yet, 
every  purchaser  believes  that  the  violin  always  im- 
proves with  age  and  use.  'Tis  the  universal  be- 
lief that  the  violin  always  improves  with  age  and 
use.  The  universal  belief  in  this  delusion  makes 
my  heart  ache.  Such  belief  is  an  ignis  fatuous 
daily  leading  its  victims  into  the  Slough  of  De- 
spond; and,  the  procession  thereto  is  a  multitude. 
All  around  the  world,  in  daily  increasing  volume, 
the  tenderest  feelings  of  human  hearts  are  poured 
out  at  the  feet  of  Beautiful  Music.  That  fraud  is 
permitted  to  thrive  upon  such  tender  feelings 
makes  the  devil  wild  with  joy. 

You  who  have  carefully  read  these  pages  are 
prepared  to  comprehend  the  difficulties  surround- 
ing the  path  of  the  conscientious  violin  maker. 
You  are  prepared  for  the  fact  that  the  most  skill- 
ful workman,  try  as  he  may,  occasionally  must 


287 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

meet  more  or  less  of  defeat.  From  history,  you 
learn  that,  even  to  the  superior  workman,  apprec- 
iation is  slow  in  coming.  In  the  presence  of  this 
fact,  and,  in  the  presence  of  pinching  want,  and, 
from  my  own  view-point,  that  violin  maker  who 
resolutely  turns  his  back  upon  temptation  to  de- 
fraud is  a  person  cast  in  heroic  mold. 

Of  such  stuff  are  heroes  made. 

As  you  remember  the  past,  as  you  honor  justice, 
and,  as  you  love  music,  wherever  and  whenever 
you  find  such  hero,  you  will  hasten  to  place  the 
crown  of  merit  upon  his  brow  while  he  yet  lives; 
and,  in  the  bestowal  of  honors,  as  you  honor  fair 
dealing,  you  will  not  forget  the  equity  due  his  si- 
lent partner.  Throughout  the  gloom  of  waiting 
days  her  voice  has  been  his  cheer.  Grant  her  hon- 
ors. 

Beautiful  Music!  Thou  canst  save 
When  others  fail.     To  me  thou  gave 
The  pow'r,  th'  will,  th'  tho't  to  move 
From  put  th'  stubborn  sinner's  groove. 
Beautiful  Music!  Thou  art  th'  leav'n 
Op'ning  wide  the  door  to  heav'n. 
Love  I  thee?    E'n  to  th'  end, 
With  thee  to  heav'n,  my  way  I  wend. 

Thou,  0  Music!  At  thy  feet,  my  tribute  lies. 


288 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

APPENDIX. 

In  every  life,  explanations  for  technical  terms 
are  desirable  at  one  period  or  another;  and,  such 
period  may  come  during  youth,  or  it  may  be  delay- 
ed until  advanced  age.  I  find  it  impossible  to  write 
at  length  upon  violin  tone-peculiarities  without 
employment  of  some  technical  terms;  and,  remem- 
bering the  period  when  technical  language  was 
confusing  to  myself,  and  remembering  my  pleasure 
accompaning  elucidation  of  such  language,  and, 
remembering  my  desire  that  all  readers  receive  re- 
ward for  the  punishment  incidental  to  wading 
through  the  dry  details  on  preceeding  pages,  there- 
fore do  I  willingly  append  an  explanation  for  some 
of  the  more  confusing  terms  necessarily  employed 
herein.  To  those  readers  not  interested  in  such 
explanations,  'tis  unnecessary  to  suggest  the  waste 
of  time  in  reading  these  closing  pages. 

ALT:  All  tones  in  the  first  octave  above  the 
staff. 

ALTISSIMO:    All  tones  above  alt. 

METEORIC  CONDITIONS:  Are  such  condi- 
tions of  the  air  as  barometic  pressure,  temperature, 
humidity,  (water  vapor,)  winds,  and  clouds.  As 
all  of  these  items,  singly,  or  combined,  operate  to  di- 
minish or  augment  the  distance  traveled  by  sound- 
waves, therefor,  such  items  become  matters  of  in- 
terest to  the  student  of  violin  tone. 

BAROMETRIC  PRESSURE:  Refers  to  weight 
of  the  air  as  indicated  by  action  of  mercury  in  the 
tube  of  the  barometer.  As  the  mercury  falls, 
weight  of  air  is  lighter.  As  the  mercury  rises, 

289 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

weight  of  air  is  heavier.  Such  variations  in  the 
weight  of  air  are  frequent,  especially  in  our  sum- 
mer months,  and,  they  may  be  so  great  as  to  cause 
great  difference  in  the  distance  traveled  by  any 
sound  from  any  source  whatever.  Strangely,  the 
violin,  of  all  musical  devices,  is  the  most  sensitive 
to  atmospheric  conditions  as  is  manifested  by 
feebleness  of  tone-inten  sity  upon  dates  when  heat 
and  water  vapor  are  in  excess.  Under  such  con- 
ditions, string-tone  values  suffer  unavoidable  de- 
preciation, no  matter  who  the  maker,  nor  what  the 
quality  of  material. 

THE  NIMBUS  CLOUD:  Overspreading  all  of 
the  sky,  operates  to  augment  distance  traveled  by 
sound-waves. 

TEMPERATURE:  May  be  either  so  high,  or 
low  as  to  greatly  diminish  the  distance  traveled  by 
sound-waves. 

WINDS:  Operate  to  diminish  the  distance  trav- 
eled by  sound-waves  in  opposition,  to  the  current, 
and,  to  augment  the  distance  traveled  with  the 
current. 

HOUR  OF  DAY:  Is  of  importance  in  the  record 
for  the  distance  traveled  by  sound-waves,  because 
during  the  midday  hours,  sound  is  propagated  with 
greatest  difficulty  upon  any  given  day. 

SOUND-REFLECTING  AGENTS:  Are  such 
objects  as  buildings,  hills,  timber,  operating  to  aug- 
ment distance  traveled  by  violin  tone  in  the  long- 
distance out-of-doors  test  for  intensity. 

Thus,  the  record  of  any  violin  for  "carrying 
power  "possesses  but  little  interest  unless  accompa- 

290 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

nied  by  the  readings  of  the  barometer,  hygrometer, 
thermometer,  together  with  the  direction  and  ve- 
locity of  winds,  degree  of  cloudiness,  hour  of  day, 
and,  the  presence  or  absence  of  sound-reflecting 
agents.  With  such  record  thus  complete,  a  violin 
may  be  safely  .guaranteed  to  repeat  its  perform- 
ance under  similar  meteoric  conditions.  It  is  im- 
portant to  the  violin  player  to  know  the  distance  to 
which  the  tone  of  his  violin  travels  with  ease. 
Thus,  the  player  may  avoid  overexertion  with  the 
bow,  as  such  overexertion  always  produces  a  dis- 
agreeable effect  upon  the  musically  cultivated  ear. 
OSCILLATION,  AMPLITUDE  of  OSCILLA- 
TION, VIBRATION,  both  NORMAL  and  TAN- 
GENTIAL, NODES,  VENTRAL  SEGMENTS, 
HARMONIC  OVERTONES,  and  DISSONANT 
OVERTONES:  Are  explained  thus:  Confining  this 
matter  to  facts  of  practical  value  to  violin  tone,  I 
employ  these  two  strings  as  a  means  for  assistance 
in  making  definitions  clear  to  the  understanding  of 
every  reader.  These  strings  are  of  equal  length, 
equal  diameter,  and,  of  identical  material,  but,  are 
unequal  in  structural  perfection.  String  A  is  ap- 
parently perfect,  String  B  is  apparently  imper- 
fect. The  action  of  these  strings  will  explain,  not 
only  some  technical  terms  applied  to  vibrating  bod- 
ies, but,  will  explain  the  necessity  for  employing 
wood  of  structural  perfection  to  produce  the  violin 
of  best,  or  highest  tone- values;  also  explain  why 
the  violin  maker,  scientific,  or  otherwise,  must 
meet  defeat  when  working  with  wood  of  structur- 
al imperfections- 

291 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

A  motionless  body  is  said  to  be  at  the  point  of 
rest.  When  a  body  moves  to  a  certain  distance 
from  the  point  of  rest,  thence  returns  to  the  point  of 
rest,  thence  passes  to  an  equal  distance  in  the  op- 
posite direction,  thence  returns  a  second  time  to 
the  point  of  rest,  such  body  is  said  to  be  in  vibrat- 
ion, or,  in  oscillation,  whichever  term  is  peferred. 
The  distance  traveled  by  such  body  from  its  point 
of  rest  is  the  amplitude  of  its  oscillation. 

[It  is  of  interest  to  note  the  fact  that  English 
and  German  philosophers  differ  with:  French  phil- 
osophers as  to  what  movement  of  a  vibrating  body 
completes  one  vibration.  The  former  hold  that 
one  complete  vibration  consists  in  one  complete 
movement  each  way  from  the  point  of  rest;  where- 
as, the  latter  hold  that  one  movement  from  the 
point  of  rest  with  one  return  completes  one  vibra- 
tion. Thus,  from  the  French  method  of  express- 
ion, concert  pitch  is  given  as  A  equals  900  vibrat- 
ions per  second;  whereas,  from  the  English  and 
German  method,  concert  pitch  is  given  as  A  equals 
450  vibrations  per  second.] 

Attaching  these  strings  separately  to  immovable 
blocks,  and  to  separate  pegs,  equal  tension  is  ap- 
plied. Application  of  a  violin  bow  causes  string  A 
to  wind  rapidly  around  its  long  axis;  and,,  such 
winding  continues  in  one  direction  until  elastic  en- 
ergy in  string-fiber  exceeds  bow-friction;  where- 
upon, the  string  unwinds  itself,  only  to  be  instant- 
ly wound  up  again.  Such  rapid  winding  and  un- 
winding delivers  forceful  blows  upon  contiguous 
air  molecules,  and,  as  such  molecules  are  elastic 

292 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

spheres,  and,  as  such  spheres  touch  each  other, 
therefore,  the  blows  from  the  string  arouse  sound- 
wave movement;  and;  as  such  movement  reaches 
our  tympani,  (ear  drums, )  we  become  conscious  of 
a  tone  proceeding  from  the  string;  and,  as  such 
tone  is  produced  by  action  of  the  entire  length  of 
the  string,  therefore  this  tone  is  of  the  lowest  pos- 
sible pitch  for  a  string  of  this  length,  and,  with 
this  tension;  therefore  this  tone  is  the  fundament- 
al tone  of  string  A. 

[Although  this  tone  is  fundamental  to  string  A, 
yet,  we  may  not  suppose  that  no  other  fundament- 
al tone  can  be  produced  upon  string  A,  because, 
when  shortening  the  string  by  "stopping"  it,  as 
with  pressure  of  the  finger,  a  new  tone  of  higher 
pitch  is  produced;  and  such  new  tone  may  be 
rightfully  called  the  fundamental  tone  of  a  new 
key;  and,  the  same  holds  true  of  all  other  tones  of 
higher  pitch.] 

The  action  of  string  A,  at  once  causes  the  ap- 
pearance of  absorbing  phenomena;  one  of  which 
consists  in  the  string  describing  a  circle  around  its 
long  axis.  We  observe  that  such  circle  is  smallest 
at  the  ends  of  the  string,  and,  greatest  at  the  half- 
way point.  Without  any  reasoning  whatever,  it  is 
clear  that  the  greatest  force  in  the  blows  of  this 
string  are  delivered  at  the  point  of  its  greatest 
amplitude  of  oscillation;  and,  that  the  least  force 
in  its  blows  are  delivered  at  the  points  of  least 
amplitude  of  oscillation.  It  is  also  clear  that  the 
point  of  greatest  amplitude  of  oscillation  cannot 
occur  at  any  other  than  the  half-way  point. 

293 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

[Acting  upon  this  fact,  when  graduating  the 
sounding-board  for  maximum  tone-power,  thick- 
ness, from  bridge-position  and  from  the  ends  of 
the  plate,  slightly  diminishes  to  the  half-way 
point;  and,  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  the  am- 
plitude of  oscillation  at  such  point.  From  the 
action  of  the  string,  it  is  clear  that  equal  amplitude 
of  oscillation  cannot  be  secured  at  any  other 
point  between  bridge-position  and  the  ends 
of  the  plate. 

Another  phenomena,  observed  upon  string  A,  di- 
rects attention  to  nodes,  ventral  segments  and 
harmonic  overtones.  Lightly  stopping  the  string 
at  the  half-way  point,  in  either  direction 
therefrom  are  seen  several  points  where  the  string 
is  at  rest.  These  points  of  rest  are  called  nodes. 
They  are  equally  distant  from  each  other,  and  the 
space  between  two  nodes  is  called  a  ventral  seg- 
ment; and,  we  observe  that  each  ventral  segment 
acts  precisely  as  the  whole  length  of  the  string 
acts;  that  is,  the  widest  amplitude  of  ventral  seg- 
ment oscillation  is  at  its  half-way  point;  and,  that 
the  action  of  these  ventral  segments  produces  a 
musical  tone.  As  the  ventral  segments  are  of  sim- 
ilar length,  therefore  the  tone  of  each  segment  is 
of  the  same  pitch  as  the  tone  of  its  neighbor:  and, 
as  the  pitch  of  such  tone  is  in  harmony  with  the 
fundamental  tone,  therefore  such  tone  is  called  a 
harmonic  overtone,  and  joining  with  the  fundament- 
al tone,  produces  what  is  called  "rich"  tone— a  rare 
quality  of  tone— a  quality  of  tone  highly  valued  by 
the  violin  soloist— a  quality  of  tone  in  which  no 

294 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

other  musical  device  approaches  the  "best"  violin 
—a  quality  of  tone  impossible  to  the  sounding- 
board  of  structural  imperfections;  and,  the  reason 
will  be  demonstrated  by  the  action  of  structurally 
imperfect  string  B. 

[Applied  to  music,  the  terms  "consonant,"  and, 
"dissonant"  vary  in  meaning  as  widely  as  "saint" 
and  "devil"  applied  to  humanity.  Consonant  har- 
monic overtones,  and,  harmonics  a  basso,  are  the 
causes  for  enchanting  beauty  of  violin  tone.  They 
lie  between  such  terms  as  "sweetness,"  and, 
"richness."  To  them  we  are  indebted  for  the 
crown  which  we  so  enthusiastically  offer  to  "The 
King."  But,  we  are  reminded,  very  of  ten  remind- 
ed, that  there  are  other  crowns.  Satan  wears  one. 
Strangely,  Satan's  crown  may  come  from  the  vio- 
lin; and  yet  more  strange,  Satan's  activity  in 
cornering  material  for  his  crown  is  supplemented 
by  such  SCIENTIFIC  violin  makers  who  ignore 
structural  perfection  in  sounding-board  wood.] 

Applying  the  bow  to  string  B,  the  dissonant 
overtone,  (chief  gem  in  Satan's  crown,)  stands 
out  clearly  for  perception  by  the  sense  of  hearing; 
and,  the  cause  stands  out  clearly  for  perception  by 
the  sense  of  sight.  We  observe  that  the  nodes 
upon  this  structurally  imperfect  tone-producing 
agent  exist  at  varying  intervals;  therefore  the  ven- 
tral segments  are  of  varying  lengths;  therefore  the 
tones  from  these  ventral  segments  are  of  random 
pitch;  therefore  many  of  such  tones  are  not  in 
harmony  with  the  fundamental  tone  of  the  string; 
therefore  the  sound  from  this  structurally  imper- 

295 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

feet  tone-producing  agent  is  NOISE;  and,  for  the 
same  reason,  the  tone  from  the  structurally  imper- 
fect sounding-board  is  NOISE;  therefore  the  letter- 
ing on  Satan's  crown  is  N-0-I-S-E. 

In  text  books  devoted  to  the  philosophy  involved 
in  musical  sound,  the  violin  sounding-board  is  com- 
pared with  a  "bundle  of  strings;"  and,  determin- 
ing by  the  "rich"  tone  from  the  perfect  string,  and, 
by  the  "rich"  tone  from  the  perfect  sounding- 
board,  it  is  made  clear  that  part  of  the  vibratory 
action  of  the  perfect  string  is  duplicated  by  the 
perfect  sounding-board  fiber;  also,  that  part  of  the 
action  of  the  imperfect  string  is  duplicated  by  the 
action  of  the  imperfect  sounding-board  fiber.  Thus, 
in  the  sounding-board  of  perfect  fiber,  nodes  will 
occur  at  regular  intervals;  therefore  ventral  seg- 
ments will  be  of  uniform  lengths;  therefore,  tones 
from  ventral  segments  will  be  of  uniform  pitch; 
therefore,  such  tones  are  in  harmony  with  the 
fundamental  tone;  hence,  the  "rich"  violin  tone. 
Thus,  in  the  sounding-board  of  imperfect  fiber,  as 
knots,  curls,  unequal  density,  departure  of  fiber 
from  straight  lines,  great  density  and  inelasticity  of 
connective  tissue,  sap  wood  and  black  spots,  the 
nodes  must  occur  at  irregular  intervals;  therefore, 
ventral  segments  must  be  of  varying  lengths; 
therefore,  the  tones  from  ventral  segments  must 
be  of  random  pitch ;  therefore,  many  of  such  tones 
must  be  out  of  harmony  with  the  fundamental 
tone;  hence,  the  noisy  violin  which  defeats  sci- 
ence; the  violin  which  defeats  the  most  skillful  vi- 
olin maker;  and,  when  noise  is  therein  suppressed, 

296 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

'tis  the  violin  of  "cold"  tone;   and  the  violin  of 
"cold"  tone  is  no  longer  "The  King." 

VIBRATORY  MOVEMENT:  In  the  violin 
sounding-board  command  deep  interest  from  the 
student;  and,  such  interest 'is  due  to  the  fact  that, 
with  other  factors  at  the  best,  violin  tone-values 
depend  upon  both  normal  vibratory  movement, 
which  travels  along  the  fibers,  and,  tangential  vi- 
bratory movement,  which  travels  across  the  fibers. 
These  two  vibratory  movements  are  the  very 
foundation  of  violin  tone-values.  They  are  the 
factors  which  augment  the  tone  of  the  strings. 
Without  these  factors,,  violin  tone- values  depreciate 
to  the  level  of  the  "broom-stick  fiddle."  By  the 
presence  of  dry  sand  upon  the  flat  sounding-board, 
both  normal  and  tangential  vibratory  movements 
become  defined.  Uniformly  distributed  upon  such 
sounding-board,  the  sand  is  thrown  upward  by  the 
force  of  plate-oscillation;  and,  is  thrown  up  to  a 
height  proportionate  to  the  amplitude  of  such  os- 
cillation. Right  here  is  where  we  observe  astound- 
ing variations  in  the  spring-action  of  different 
samples  of  wood.  Right  here  also  is  shown  the 
vast  difference  between  the  action  of  the  structur- 
ally perfect  and  imperfect  fiber.  Thus:  Upon  the 
perfect  sounding-board,  oscillation  thereof,  and 
continued  during  a  period  of  time  varying  as  the 
spring-action,  forces  the  sand  to  leave  ventral  seg- 
ments, and,  to  collect  upon  the  nodes.  Thus,  reg- 
ularity in  the  distance  between  nodes  is  determ- 
ined. Thus,  irregularity  in  the  distance  between 
nodes  is  shown  .on  the  structurally  imperfect 

297 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

sounding-board. 

'Tis  true,  this  demonstration  cannot  be  made 
successfully  upon  the  concavo-convex  violin  sound- 
ing-board. 'Tis  also  true,  such  demonstration  is 
unnecessary.  It  is  self-evident  that  these  facts  are 
similar  in  these  two  forms  of  sounding-board.  In 
either  case,  the  presence  of  the  exits  operates  to 
limit  transverse  vibratory  travel,  thus:  As  the 
blows  of  the  strings  are  delivered  upon  the  sound- 
ing-board at  bridge-position,  therefore,  vibratory 
movement  in  the  sounding-board  begins  at  such 
position;  and,  because  of  proximity  of  the  exits,  it 
is  evident  that  vibratory  movement  above  the 
bridge  is  confined  to  the  normal  until  after  passing 
beyond  the  upper  extremity  of  the  exits.  Below 
the  bridge,  on  the  bass  side,  the  distance  to  the 
exit  is  sufficient  for  permitting  simultaneous  action 
of  both  normal  and  transverse  vibration.  Below 
the  bridge,  on  the  treble  side,  the  post  effectively 
arrests  the  travel  of  both  vibratory  movements,  as 
is  satisfactorily  demonstrated  by  splitting  up  the 
lower  right-quarter  of  the  sounding-board.  Bas- 
ing conclusions  upon  the  evidence  afforded  by 
hundreds  of  used  sounding-boards,  it  is  evident 
that  the  "rich"  tone  depends  upon  the  unimpeded 
travel  of  normal  vibration;  also,  that  volume  of 
tone  largely  depends  upon  transverse  vibration. 

An  interesting  fact  is  shown  in  the  record  for 
comparative  velocities  attaching  to  these  vibratory 
movements.  Thus:  In  pine,  normal  vibrations, 
3322  metres  per  second.  In  pine,  transverse 
vibrations,  1405  metres  per  second.  Therefore, 

298 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

as  transverse  vibration  travels  one  unit,  nor- 
mal vibration  travels  2  36-100  units;  but,  the 
evidence  from  used  sounding-boards  indicates 
that  this  ratio  is  not  a  constant  quantity,  that  it  is 
a  quantity  greatly  modified  by  structural  peculiar- 
ities of  grain  in  different  samples  of  wood.  Thus, 
transverse  vibration  is  dimished  by  both  extremely 
soft  grain,  and  extremely  dense  grain. 

United,  these  vibratory  movements  become  the 
foundation  of  both  volume  of  tone,  and  quality  of 
tone.  In  the  production  of  volume  of  tone  from 
the  sounding-board,  transverse  vibration  exercises 
the  more  commanding  influence.  This  fact  is  eas- 
ily demonstrated,  thus:  With  that  sounding-board 
too  rigid  for  the  force  in  strings  of  certain  size,  as 
gauge-2,  gradual  diminution  of  thickness  from 
center  join  to  edges  operates  to  increase  the  distance 
traveled  by  transverse  vibration;  therefore,  the 
area  of  the  striking  surface  is  increased;  therefore, 
an  increased  number  of  air  molecules  within  the 
violin  body  receive  an  identical  blow;  hence  greater 
volume  of  tone. 

[It  is  an  easy  matter  to  increase  volume  of  violin 
tone  to  the  degree  ruining  intensity  of  tone.] 

The  loss  of  power  following  use  is  a  matter  pos- 
sessing deep  interest  to  the  student  of  violin  tone- 
phenomena.  It  is  my  observation  that  such  loss  is 
due  to  the  following  factors: 

1.  Increasing  roughness  of  unprotected  interior 
surfaces. 

2.  Disintegration  upon  unprotected  surface. 

3.  Increasing  sounding-board  flexibility  follow- 

299 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ing  use. 

4.  Degree  of  fiber-density  and  natural  tough- 
ness of  connective  tissue. 

5.  Amount  of  use  and  vigor  of  bow. 
Increasing  flexibility  is  here  in  point.    By  reason 

of  inherent  rigidity,  the  hard  parts  of  sounding- 
board  fiber  are  prevented  from  transverse  bending; 
but,  connective  tissue,  being  elastic  in  both  length 
and  breadth,  permits  transverse  bending;  there- 
fore transverse  vibration  depends  upon  connective- 
tissue  elasticity;  and  such  elasticity  diminishes 
with  use;  and  the  rate  of  diminution  is  modified  by 
the  degree  of  bending,  frequency  of  bending,  and 
the  natural  toughness  of  connective  tissue  peculiar 
to  different  samples  of  wood.  The  toughness  of 
connective  tissue  in  violin  sounding-board  wood  is 
a  widely  varying  quantity;  and  for  this  reason 
alone,  longevity  of  violin  tone-power  presents 
widely  varying  periods.  These  known  facts  may' 
be  applied  to  the  violin  sounding-board,  thus: 
That  sounding-board  called  upon  for  only  part  of  its 
spring-force  will  last  longer  than  that  sounding- 
board  called  upon  for  the  limit  of  its  spring-force. 
Both  violin  plates  may  become  springs.  This 
matter  depends  upon  thickness  and  inherent  rigid- 
ity. Manifestly,  marked  volume  of  violin  tone  de- 
pends upon  such  reduction  in  plate  rigidity  as  per- 
mits increased  distance  traveled  by,  and  increased 
amplitude  to  transverse  vibration;  also  manifestly, 
such  increased  amplitude  is  accomplished  by  in- 
creased bending  of  the  plate;  therefore,  loss  of 
spring-force  is  accelerated. 

300 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

These  facts  unmistakably  point  to  the  risk  in 
giving  marked  volume  of  tone  to  the  new  violin, 
because,  such  new  violin  is  liable  to  suffer  damag- 
ing loss  of  tone-power  at  what  may  be  rightfully 
called  premature  age.  From  my  viewpoint,  it  is 
much  the  wiser  plan  to  slightly  limit  both  distance 
and  amplitude  of  transverse  vibration  and  trust 
something  to  increasing  flexibility  of  the  wood  in- 
evitably following  use. 

[The  work  of  Prof.  Pietro  Blaserna,  Royal  Uni- 
versity, Rome,  is  an  admirable  treatise  for  persons 
desiring  study  of  sound  in  its  relation  to  music.] 

POSITION  OF  THE  POST:  As  the  problem  of 
the  post  has  received  various  interpretations  by 
different  philosophers,  and  as  no  authoritative 
ground  to  stand  upon  appears  in  sight,  therefore 
all  persons  are  at  liberty  to  hold  and  express  opin- 
ions upon  this  question  as  suits  themselves.  Upon 
this  basis,  the  following  calculations  are  presented: 

As  violin  string-force  depends  upon  augmenta- 
tion by  normal  and  transverse  vibration  in  the 
sounding-board,  plus  sympathetic  action  due  to 
proximity  of  the  strings,  and,  as  placing  the  post 
below  the  bridge  operates  to  confine  said  activities 
to  the  upper,  right  quarter,  as  is  demonstrated  by 
splitting  up  the  lower,  right  quarter,  therefore, 
position  of  the  post,  in  its  relation  to  the  bridge, 
governs  the  location  of  sounding-board  activities 
augmenting  force  of  the  A  and  E  strings;  and,  as 
placing  the  post  above  the  bridge  operates  to  trans- 
fer normal  and  transverse  vibration  to  the  lower, 
right  quarter  of  the  sounding-board,  and,  as  dist- 

301 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ance  annihilates  sympathetic  action,  therefore 
placing  the  post  above  the  bridge  operates  to  de- 
liver blows  of  diminished  force  upon  contained  air; 
hence  diminished  power  of  A  and  E-tone  follows. 
As  the  influence  of  the  post  is  chiefly  exerted  upon 
the  A  and  E-strings,  therefore,  in  selecting  a  posi- 
tion for  the  post,  certain  effects  should  be  kept  in 
view,  as,  greatest  power  of  tone,  and,  best  quality 
of  tone.  It  happens  quite  often  that  greatest 
power  of  tone  destroys  best  quality  of  tone;  there- 
fore, in  such  case,  a  choice  between  greatest  power 
and  best  quality  of  tone  must  be  determined;  and, 
in  determining  upon  such  choice,  it  is  necessary  to 
consider  the  post  itself  regardless  of  its  position. 

This  consideration  is  made  necessary  because 
such  physical  qualities  in  the  post  as  length,  dens- 
ity, and  mass  exert  marked  influence  upon  A  and 
E-tone.  Either  of  these  attributes  may  defeat  in- 
tention. Manifestly,  preparatory  training  here  be- 
comes of  benefit,  in  fact,  a  necessity  for  securing 
best  results  in  the  work  of  post  adjustment.  As 
in  all  other  matters  pertaining  to  the  modification 
of  violin  tone,  the  musical  sense  of  the  post-setter 
must  be  thrown  into  the  balance;  and,  when  such 
sense  is  a  minus  quantity,  the  failures  following  at- 
tempts at  post-adjusting  should  not  be  charged 
up  to  Stradivarius. 

In  addition  to  the  physical  qualities  of  the  post, 
its  position  is  modified  by  each  of  the  following 
factors: 

1.  Height  of  bridge. 

2.  Height  of  arching. 

302 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

3.  Thickness  of  plates  at  bridge-position. 

4.  Method  of  graduation. 

5.  Spring-quality  of  the  plates. 

6.  Diameter  and  quality  of  string. 
Obviously,  that  position  for  the  post  securing 

greatest  augmentation  of  A  and  E-tone  can  be  de- 
termined only  by  trial. 

From  differing  methods  for  setting  the  post,  the 
following  is  presented: 

Premising  that  length  of  the  plates  equals  14 
inches,  the  bridge  is  first  placed  8  inches  from  the 
upper  end  of  the  sounding-board  for  reasons  here- 
tofore given. 

[This  position  for  the  bridge  is  modified  by  the 
method  of  graduation.] 

Applying  sufficient  tension  to  the  strings  to  hold 
the  bridge  in  position,  set  the  post  directly  beneath 
the  right  foot  of  the  bridge,  and  draw  the  strings 
up  to  either  diapason  normal,  (international  pitch, ) 
or  up  to  concert  pitch,  thereafter  maintaining  the 
pitch  and  the  gauge  of  strings  decided  upon. 

With  the  post  in  this  position,  observe  the  power 
of  A  and  E-tone;  then  move  the  post  downwards 
by  1-16  inch,  and  observe  the  increased  power  of  A 
and  E,  and,  continue  thus  until  reaching  the  point 
where  power  of  A  and  E.  appears  diminished.  In 
returning  the  post  to  the  point  most  augmenting 
power  of  A  and  E,  move  it  by  1-32  inch. 

Upon  reaching  such  point, ,  observe  the  balance 
of  power  between  A  and  E.  Should  the  E  possess 
the  greater  power,  move  the  post  to  the  left  by 
1-32  inch,  and  observe  the  result;  continuing  thus 

303 


VIOLIN     TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

until  equal  power  is  established.  Should  the  A 
possess  the  greater  power,  move  the  post  to  the 
right. 

In  this  work,  defeat  may  follow  from  the  follow- 
ing fact:  With  the  diameter  of  the  post  equalling 
3-16  inches,  but  slight  deviation  from  the  perpen- 
dicular causes  the  sounding-board  to  rest  upon  one 
or  the  other  edge  of  the  post.  Thus,  when  the 
sounding-board  rests  upon  the  lower  edge  of  the 
post,  the  distance  from  the  bridge  is  practically 
3-16  greater  than  appearances  indicate;  and  as 
1-32,  more  or  less,  causes  perceptible  effect  upon  A 
and  E-string  tone,  therefore  6-32  becomes  ample 
reason  for  defeat. 

ANGLES  of  INCIDENCE  and  REFLECTION, 
within  the  violin  body,  are  important  factors  in  the 
production  of  tone-intensity.  The  influence  of 
these  angles  is  easily  comprehended;  yet,  in  no 
form  of  arching  whatever  have  these  lines  been 
definitely  traced. 

These  angles  depend  for  existence  upon  a  moving 
body  and  a  solid  reflecting  surface,  thus:  The  ball, 
thrown  against  the  wall,  travels  along  the  line  of 
incidence;  and,  as  the  ball  rebounds,  it  travels 
along  the  line  of  reflection.  If  the  line  of  inci- 
dence is  perpendicular  to  the  wall,  then  the  ball  re- 
bounds directly  to  its  starting  point;  thus  the  lines 
of  incidence  and  reflection  are  one;  and  thus  are 
these  lines  in  the  violin  of  perfectly  flat  plates. 
If  now,  the  thrower  stands  to  one  side  or  the  other 
of  the  line  which  is  perpendicular  with  the  wall, 
and  plants  the  ball  at  a  point  where  the  perpendic- 

304 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

ular  line  touches  the  wall,  then  the  ball  will  not 
rebound  on  the  line  of  incidence  nor  upon  the  per- 
pendicular line,  but  will  travel  along  a  new  line 
having  precisely  the  same  angle  with  the  wall  as 
the  line  of  incidence;  and  thus  are  lines  of  sound- 
wave travel  within  the  violin  of  arched  plates.  It 
is  self-evident  that  such  interior  walls  as  turn 
sound-wave  lines  of  travel  away  from  the  exits 
cause  loss  to  intensity  of  tone;  and  per  contra, 
such  interior  walls  as  direct  sound-wave  lines  of 
travel  toward  the  exits  cause  increased  intensity  of 
tone  proportionate  to  the  degree  of  concentration. 

Verbum  sap  First,  establish  the  interior  walls; 
later,  the  exterior  walls. 

LABEL,  VARNISH  and  PRICE  vs  SWEET 
TONE:  Johann  Holtzhammer  is  a  herder  of 
sheep.  His  summer  home  is  on  the  mountain. 
From  early  morn  till  dewy  eve,  Johann  listens  to 
sweet  sounds.  The  song  of  birds  is  sweet.  The 
song  of  the  rippling  brook  is  sweet.  The  rustle  of 
swaying  boughs  is  sweet.  The  odor  of  pine  is 
sweet.  Even  the  noisy  whirr  of  industry's  wheels 
is  bereft  of  the  noise- wave  ere  it  reaches  up  to  Jo- 
hann's  ears.  At  the  base  of  detached  rock, 
wild  berries  offer  their  sweet  appearances  and 
sweeter  juices.  The  mountain  air  is  sweet.  The 
water  in  the  rivulet  is  sweet.  Indeed,  life  to  Jo- 
hann is  one  round  of  sweetness;  yet,  Johann  longs 
for  something  to  keep  his  hands  employed.  With 
NATURE  throbbing  all  around  him,  idleness  be- 
comes oppressive.  What  would  he  do?  What 
could  he  do?  Make  a  violin?  Why  not?  Here  is 

305 


VIOLIN      TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

a  fallen,  giant  pine.  Yonder  is  a  dead  maple. 
There's  the  ax.  Here's  a  jackknife.  Where 
there's  a  will,  there's  a  way.  Those  giant  logs 
have  been  seasoning  since  Johann's  grandsire 
herded  the  sheep;  but,  the  ax  is  keen,  and  Jo- 
hann's jackknife  is  always  ready  for  business. 
Time  is  nothing.  Result  is  everything-.  As  Johann 
works,  a  nearby  lark  sings  with  undoubted  approv- 
al. 'Tis  true,  Johann  knows  nothing  of  the  Py- 
thagorean scale;  nothing  of  the  Palestrina  scale; 
nothing  of  the  piano,  or  temperate  scale;  nothing- 
of  consonant  overtones;  nothing  of  harmonics  a 
bassa;  but,  he  does  know  sweet  sound.  'Tis  all  he 
needs. 

Johann  stains  his  violin  with  the  juice  of  moun- 
tain berries. 

Enough! 

Imitation  is  defied. 

The  secret  dies  with  Johann. 

The  thrilling,  enchanting,  soulful,  sweetly  tend- 
er tone  of  Johann's  violin  had  long  been  the  cause 
for  bird  wonderment  and  worship  prior  to  his 
passing;  and,  after  his  passing,  each  bird  on  that 
mountain  vied  with  its  neighbor  in  singing  sweet 
and  low  upon  the  recurring  date  when  Johann  de- 
parted with  his  violin.  Not  one  bird  on  that  moun- 
tain ever  mentioned  the  jackknifed  angles  upon 
Johann's  violin;  neither  did  Charon  as  Johann  ap- 
plied for  ferriage  across  the  Styx;  neither  did  the 
keeper  of  the  great  gate,  as  appears  in  the  sequel. 

As  Johann  entered  the  long  avenue,  a  multitude 
of  shades  with  downcast  mein,  were  standing  at  a 

306 


VIOLIN    TONE-PECULIARITIES. 

halt  upon  either  hand.  Some  of  them  bore  '  'mast- 
erpieces" upon  which  were  conspicuous  tickets 
lettered  with  the  words,  LABEL,  and,  VARNISH, 
and,  a  limited  number  bore  conspicuous  figures  up- 
on the  ticket,  as,  $10,000,  and,  $12,000. 

Although  no  affair  of  Johann's,  yet,  'twas  a 
wonderment  whyfor  such  halting.  As  this  gate 
keeper  requires  only  the  billionth  part  of  a  moment 
for  computing  the  ad  valorem  in  any  invoice,  there- 
fore, upon  the  instant  Johann's  immortal  consign- 
ment arrived,  the  great  gate  swung  open;  and,  in 
that  brief  interval,  a  glimpse  of  glory  flashed  down 
the  long  avenue;  and,  as  the  great  gate  closed  be- 
hind Johann,  there  came  up  from  the  long  avenue 
a  sound  as  the  gnashing  of  teeth. 


307 


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